Ayan Deb Mukerji (born 15 August 1983) is an Indian filmmaker who works in Hindi films. A member of the Mukherjee-Samarth family, he is known for his collaborations with actor Ranbir Kapoor under Karan Johar's production banner Dharma Productions.
Mukerji made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age film Wake Up Sid (2009), which opened to strong reviews and box office returns. His next two directorials, the romantic comedy-drama Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) and the fantasy action-adventure film Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022), rank among the highest-grossing Hindi films. All three films earned him nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Director, with Wake Up Sid also winning him the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director.
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Early life and background
Ayan Deb Mukerji was born on 15 August 1983 in Calcutta, West Bengal, the son of Bengali film actor Deb Mukherjee. His family was involved in the Indian film industry since 1930, when his grandfather Sashadhar Mukherjee first ventured into the field. Sashadhar Mukherjee was one of the founding partners of Filmistan Studio in Mumbai and a pioneer in the industry, producing films like Dil Deke Dekho (1959), Love in Simla (1960), Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) and Leader (1964). Filmistan Studio is still run by Ayan's extended family.
Ayan's grandmother, Satidevi Mukherjee (née Ganguly), wife of Sashadhar Mukherji, was the sister of pioneer actors Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar, and actor-singer Kishore Kumar. Ayan's grandfather's brothers were film producer Prabodh Mukherjee, director Subodh Mukherjee and Ravindra Mohan Mukherjee, the grandfather of actress Rani Mukherjee. Ayan's paternal uncles were actors Joy Mukherjee, Subir Mukherjee and Shomu Mukherjee, who is the husband of actress Tanuja and the father of actresses Kajol and Tanisha Mukherjee.
Mukerji studied at Jamnabai Narsee School in Vile Parle, Mumbai. He later attended Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology but dropped out after the first year to assist Ashutosh Gowariker as a clapper boy on Swades (2004).
Career
Initial work and directorial debut (2004–2009)
Mukerji started his career as an assistant director to his brother-in-law Ashutosh Gowariker on the social drama Swades (2004), and later to Karan Johar on the ensemble musical romantic drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), also appearing as an extra in the latter.
After taking a short break from filmmaking, Mukerji wrote the screenplay for the 2009 coming-of-age comedy-drama Wake Up Sid and then directed it. Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma in lead roles, it marked the first of several collaborations between Mukerji and Kapoor. The film tells the story of a careless rich college brat (Kapoor) who is taught the value of owning up to responsibility by an aspiring writer from Kolkata (Sen Sharma). Produced by Johar's banner Dharma Productions, it opened to widespread critical acclaim for its novel concept, themes, direction, story, screenplay, soundtrack and the performances of the cast. It emerged as a commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹62 crore (US$6.4 million) worldwide. Wake Up Sid earned Mukerji the inaugural Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director (tying for the award with Zoya Akhtar for Luck by Chance), in addition to his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
Breakthrough and further success (2013–present)
Mukerji achieved his breakthrough with the romantic comedy-drama Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), starring Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in lead roles, alongside Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur. The film was his second under Johar's banner. It revolves around two people who meet during a trekking trip where one falls in love with the other but refrains from expressing it. They soon drift apart but end up meeting again at a friend's wedding. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani opened to widespread critical acclaim, with high praise for its direction, story, screenplay, soundtrack, cinematography, production design, costumes and the performances of its cast. The film emerged as a major blockbuster at the box office, grossing ₹319.6 crore (US$33 million) worldwide, and ranking as the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani earned Mukerji his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. Over the years, it has emerged as a highly popular film amongst youth.
Mukerji wrote and directed the big-budget fantasy film Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022) starring Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna in lead roles. Produced by Johar's banner, it is the first installment of a trilogy, planned to be part of a cinematic universe titled Āstraverse. The film was first conceived by Mukerji in 2011, with core elements inspired by Indian history and stories he heard in his childhood. Unlike Mukerji's two previous ventures, it opened to mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for the performances, direction, visual effects, soundtrack, musical score and action sequences, but criticism for its dialogue. However, the film emerged as Mukerji's second consecutive major blockbuster at the box-office, grossing ₹431 crore (US$45 million) worldwide. It ranked as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of the year, the highest-grossing Hindi film in overseas markets since the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva earned Mukerji his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
Mukerji's fourth directorial was the sixth installment in the YRF Spy Universe and a circumquel to 2019 film War titled War 2 (2025) starring Hrithik Roshan, N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Kiara Advani. The film marked his first venture to neither be produced by Dharma Productions nor feature Kapoor. It received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and underperformed at the box-office, but nonetheless emerged as the year's third highest-grossing film.
Filmography
Other roles
Acting roles