‘Tiger Zinda Hai,’ ‘Sultan’ Director Ali Abbas Zafar to Return to India’s Yash Raj Films for Big Budget Tentpole Projects (EXCLUSIVE)

As a cinephile with over three decades of movie-watching under my belt, I find myself thoroughly enthused by the news of Ali Abbas Zafar‘s return to Yash Raj Films. The man behind some of Bollywood’s most successful films, including “Sultan” and “Tiger Zinda Hai,” is rekindling his creative partnership with Aditya Chopra, a collaboration that has produced blockbusters in the past.


Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar is going back to Yash Raj Films, the studio that launched his initial four movies, as reported by our sources.

In 2011, Zafar launched his directorial career with the romantic comedy “Mere Brother Ki Dulhan,” produced by YRF and featuring Katrina Kaif, Imran Khan, and himself. The movie was a success and he continued his collaboration with the studio, directing the action film “Gunday” (2014), starring Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Irrfan Khan. This film was also successful. After that, Zafar directed several box office hits for YRF, including “Sultan” (2016) – a wrestling drama featuring Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma, which is one of the studio’s biggest successes ever; and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017), starring Khan and Kaif, the second installment in YRF’s popular spy universe franchise created by Aditya Chopra.

2019’s family drama “Bharat,” featuring both Khan and Kaif in its cast, was a successful adaptation of “Ode to My Father” by Yoon Je-kyoon. This movie was produced under the banners of Reel Life Productions, Salman Khan Films, and T-Series, marking Zafar’s debut as a director outside of YRF (Yash Raj Films).

After the release of the Prime Video series “Tandav” (2021), starring Saif Ali Khan, it was followed by controversy. Certain scenes in the series upset members of the ruling Hindu nationalist government because they included a portrayal of a character played by Muslim actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as the Hindu deity Shiva. In response, Prime Video swiftly edited the controversial scene and both Zafar (the creator) and the streaming service issued apologies.

After his successful run with Netflix’s drama-thriller “Jogi” (2022), a series based on the 1984 Delhi riots featuring Diljit Dosanjh, Zafar is now preparing for another project in 2023 – an action thriller titled “Bloody Daddy”. This upcoming production is an adaptation of the 2011 French film “Sleepless Night”, and will star Shahid Kapoor. Notably, it’s being produced by Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Studios for the streaming platform JioCinema, and has also received positive reviews.

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I must confess that my expectations were not met with “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,” the high-profile action spectacle featuring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. This film debuted during the Eid festive season this year, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit its stride at the box office.

Currently, Zafar is heading back to Yash Raj Films to join forces with Chopra on several unique cinematic productions as a director, under the guidance of his mentor.

Film director Ali Abbas Zafar, known for successful productions like ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan,’ ‘Sultan,’ ‘Gunday’ and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ at YRF, is going back to his old educational institution. This news is thrilling as it suggests that Ali is revisiting his roots.

“There’s a strong belief that Ali will reach even greater success as he collaborates creatively with Aditya Chopra on several high-budget, blockbuster movies for Yash Raj Films (YRF). At this point, the specific projects that Ali will direct at YRF haven’t been finalized. However, we can confirm that they will be unique cinematic productions intended for the big screen.”

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2024-08-30 16:46