# Sabbir Khan
**Sabbir Khan** is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema). He made his directorial debut with *Kambakkht Ishq* (2009) and is best known for launching [Tiger Shroff](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiger-shroff) in *Heropanti* (2014) and directing the actor again in *Baaghi* (2016) and *Munna Michael* (2017); his later films are *Nikamma* (2022) and *Adbhut* (2024).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1287649/) • [2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/sabbir-khan/filmography/director/) He should not be confused with other people of the same or similar name, including the Melbourne rail projects engineer Sabbir Khan, the sarangi player Sabir Khan honored by the [Sangeet Natak Akademi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sangeet-natak-akademi), and the otolaryngologist Dr. Sabbir R. Khan of Melville, New York.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Profession | Indian film director and screenwriter in Hindi cinema[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1287649/) |
| Directorial debut | *Kambakkht Ishq*, released 3 July 2009, starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor[2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/sabbir-khan/filmography/director/) |
| Signature work | *Heropanti* (2014), *Baaghi* (2016), and *Munna Michael* (2017), all with Tiger Shroff[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/tiger-shroff-birthday-first-director-sabbir-khan-on-how-he-found-an-action-star-in-the-actor-how-baaghi-was-born-7210067/) |
| Debuts launched | Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon in *Heropanti* (2014); Niddhi Agerwal in *Munna Michael* (2017)[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) • [5](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/interviews/sabbir-khan-interview-i-hope-my-films-keep-working-well-so-that-i-continuously-introduce-new-talent) |
| Family background | Son of the late lyricist Noor Dewasi, best known for "Aao huzoor tumko sitaron mein le chaloon" from *Kismat* (1968)[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) |
| Career path | About ten years as an assistant director, including for Mahesh Bhatt and David Dhawan, before directing[6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/as-a-middle-class-boy-i-dreamt-of-getting-a-chance-to-make-one-film-sabbir-khan/story-UtBdv5T8QiZeWU0gAb2ukJ.html) |
## Background and apprenticeship
Khan grew up around film sets and recording studios as the son of the lyricist Noor Dewasi, whose best-known song remains the [Asha Bhosle](https://www.edgepedia.org/asha-bhosle) hit "Aao huzoor tumko sitaron mein le chaloon" from *Kismat* (1968), composed by [O. P. Nayyar](https://www.edgepedia.org/o-p-nayyar).[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) His father was not financially secure and could not afford a sound education for him; the actor [Vinod Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinod-khanna) enrolled him in his own alma mater, a boarding school in Deolali near Nashik, and later paid his college fees as well.[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) When Khan told his father he wanted to direct, his father refused, not wanting his son to repeat his own cycle of rejection in the film industry.[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html)
**Assistant director years.** Khan worked for a few months as a copywriter in advertising, then spent about ten years as an assistant director before getting a break.[6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/as-a-middle-class-boy-i-dreamt-of-getting-a-chance-to-make-one-film-sabbir-khan/story-UtBdv5T8QiZeWU0gAb2ukJ.html) He first approached [Mahesh Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahesh-bhatt), who turned him away, and found work with other directors including Farooq Siddiqui; he returned to assist Bhatt on the psychological thriller *Dastak* (1996) with [Sushmita Sen](https://www.edgepedia.org/sushmita-sen), and then on *Kartoos*, *Tamanna*, and *Zakhm*, and considers Bhatt his guru.[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) He moved from the Bhatt camp to [David Dhawan](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-dhawan)'s, working on *Hum Kisise Kam Nahin* and then *Mujhse Shaadi Karogi* (2004), which starred Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar and was produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) The relationships formed on that shoot led Nadiadwala and Akshay Kumar to offer him his first film as director.[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html)
## Directorial career
**Kambakkht Ishq (2009).** Khan's debut was the romantic action-comedy *Kambakkht Ishq*, produced by [Sajid Nadiadwala](https://www.edgepedia.org/sajid-nadiadwala) and starring [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar) and Kareena Kapoor, with a cameo by the Hollywood action star [Sylvester Stallone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sylvester-stallone).[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/-sabbir-khan-it-is-not-in-my-dna-to-make-provocative-cinema/articleshow/51878468.cms) The film was a box office dud, and Khan spent the following five years away from directing, working on scripts and, by his account, learning filmmaking.[8](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/hyderabad/2014/May/24/after-the-break-616681.html)
**Heropanti (2014).** His second film launched two newcomers, Tiger Shroff, son of [Jackie Shroff](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-shroff), and [Kriti Sanon](https://www.edgepedia.org/kriti-sanon).[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) Khan cast the entire supporting cast fresh as well, auditioning for three months and drawing actors from theater, stage, and television.[9](https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/heropanti-director-sabbir-khan-on-a-new-path-1.1335730) He described the film as a love story with social themes, including honor killing and education for the girl child, and it proved a sleeper hit.[8](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/hyderabad/2014/May/24/after-the-break-616681.html) • [4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) In a 2022 interview he identified it as a remake of [Allu Arjun](https://www.edgepedia.org/allu-arjun)'s *Parugu*.[10](https://www.amarujala.com/entertainment/bollywood/nikamma-movie-director-sabbir-khan-said-that-baaghi-heropanti-sequel-did-not-work-because-it-was-not-organic)
**Baaghi (2016).** Khan built his third film, released 29 April 2016, around Tiger Shroff's abilities as a trained gymnast and martial arts black belt, hiring an action team from Thailand for what he called raw, visceral action, and cast Shraddha Kapoor opposite him.[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html) He has said the film is a remake of Prabhas's *Varsham*.[10](https://www.amarujala.com/entertainment/bollywood/nikamma-movie-director-sabbir-khan-said-that-baaghi-heropanti-sequel-did-not-work-because-it-was-not-organic) In interviews at the time he said he had worked with his writers to add layers and subtle messages so the film would not read as a stereotypical action film, and named Rajkumar Hirani as a filmmaker whose aesthetics he hoped to imbibe.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/i-want-to-direct-realistic-films-sabbir-khan/lite/)
**Munna Michael (2017).** His third film with Tiger Shroff, released 21 July 2017, is a dance-centered story about a street kid aspiring to be like Michael Jackson, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a gangster who takes dance lessons from Munna.[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/sabbir-khan-on-casting-tiger-shroff-in-his-films-munna-michael-4758385/) • [13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/munna-michael-director-sabbir-khan-on-nawazuddin-siddiqui-4744054/) Khan had narrated the idea to Shroff in 2013, on the last day of the *Heropanti* shoot, and said the film was his tribute to Michael Jackson, whom he had admired since boarding school.[5](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/interviews/sabbir-khan-interview-i-hope-my-films-keep-working-well-so-that-i-continuously-introduce-new-talent) • [12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/sabbir-khan-on-casting-tiger-shroff-in-his-films-munna-michael-4758385/) Siddiqui agreed to the film within about ten minutes of the narration, before Khan had finished it, and took on the dancing role despite initial hesitation.[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/munna-michael-director-sabbir-khan-on-nawazuddin-siddiqui-4744054/) The film introduced Niddhi Agerwal.[5](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/interviews/sabbir-khan-interview-i-hope-my-films-keep-working-well-so-that-i-continuously-introduce-new-talent)
**Nikamma (2022).** Khan's next release, on 17 June 2022, starred Shilpa Shetty, Abhimanyu Dassani, and Shirley Setia and was a remake of the 2017 Telugu hit *Middle Class Abbayi*.[14](https://bollywoodchronicle.com/sabbir-khan-mass-cinema-evolve-intellect/) The film had been shot in 2019, and Khan agreed in interviews that the delay was decisive: it was made for a pre-pandemic audience and arrived after two years in which viewers had grown used to watching dubbed South Indian originals at home.[14](https://bollywoodchronicle.com/sabbir-khan-mass-cinema-evolve-intellect/) He also said the sequels to *Heropanti* and *Baaghi*, made by other directors, had not worked because they were not organic.[10](https://www.amarujala.com/entertainment/bollywood/nikamma-movie-director-sabbir-khan-said-that-baaghi-heropanti-sequel-did-not-work-because-it-was-not-organic)
**Adbhut (2024).** Khan's most recent credited film as director is the thriller *Adbhut*, released 15 September 2024, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Diana Penty, Shreya Dhanwanthary, and Rohan Mehra.[2](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/sabbir-khan/filmography/director/) • [15](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/sabbir-khan/)
## Working style and outlook
Khan describes himself as a maker of mass-appeal films rather than niche ones, saying he grew up watching films in 1,000-seat cinemas and wants to tell stories in the most entertaining way.[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/sabbir-khan-on-casting-tiger-shroff-in-his-films-munna-michael-4758385/) He has repeatedly framed his commercial films as a stepping stone toward more realistic, human dramatic storytelling in the manner of Rajkumar Hirani, while keeping the drama and song-and-dance tradition of what he calls quintessential Hindi cinema.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/i-want-to-direct-realistic-films-sabbir-khan/lite/) His stated philosophy for *Baaghi* was to make spectacle that draws audiences to theaters rather than to phone screens.[4](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html)
His collaboration with Tiger Shroff spanned three films, and he has described the relationship as beginning like a student-teacher one, with workshops before *Heropanti*, and maturing into friendship; he credits a moment on the *Heropanti* action set with revealing Shroff's potential and prompting his promise to make a full-fledged action film with him, which became *Baaghi*.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/tiger-shroff-birthday-first-director-sabbir-khan-on-how-he-found-an-action-star-in-the-actor-how-baaghi-was-born-7210067/) • [6](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/as-a-middle-class-boy-i-dreamt-of-getting-a-chance-to-make-one-film-sabbir-khan/story-UtBdv5T8QiZeWU0gAb2ukJ.html)
## References
1. [Sabbir Khan, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1287649/)
2. [Sabbir Khan Movies List, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/sabbir-khan/filmography/director/)
3. [Tiger Shroff's first director Sabbir Khan on how he found an action star in the actor, The Indian Express (2 March 2021)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/tiger-shroff-birthday-first-director-sabbir-khan-on-how-he-found-an-action-star-in-the-actor-how-baaghi-was-born-7210067/)
4. [Baaghi director Sabbir Khan talks about his journey, Filmfare (12 May 2016)](https://www.filmfare.com/interviews/baaghi-director-sabbir-khan-talks-about-his-journey-13306.html)
5. [Sabbir Khan Interview: I hope my films keep working well so that I continuously introduce new talent, BollywoodMDB (11 July 2017)](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/interviews/sabbir-khan-interview-i-hope-my-films-keep-working-well-so-that-i-continuously-introduce-new-talent)
6. [As a middle class boy, I dreamt of getting a chance to make one film: Sabbir Khan, Hindustan Times (12 July 2017)](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/as-a-middle-class-boy-i-dreamt-of-getting-a-chance-to-make-one-film-sabbir-khan/story-UtBdv5T8QiZeWU0gAb2ukJ.html)
7. [Sabbir Khan: It is not in my DNA to make provocative cinema, Times of India (2016)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/-sabbir-khan-it-is-not-in-my-dna-to-make-provocative-cinema/articleshow/51878468.cms)
8. [After the Break: Director Sabbir Khan on Heropanti, The New Indian Express (24 May 2014)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/hyderabad/2014/May/24/after-the-break-616681.html)
9. [Heropanti director Sabbir Khan on a new path, Gulf News (15 September 2018)](https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/heropanti-director-sabbir-khan-on-a-new-path-1.1335730)
10. [Nikamma: director Sabbir Khan said that Baaghi, Heropanti sequels did not work because they were not organic, Amar Ujala (12 June 2022)](https://www.amarujala.com/entertainment/bollywood/nikamma-movie-director-sabbir-khan-said-that-baaghi-heropanti-sequel-did-not-work-because-it-was-not-organic)
11. [I want to direct realistic films: Sabbir Khan, The Indian Express (12 May 2016)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/i-want-to-direct-realistic-films-sabbir-khan/lite/)
12. [Sabbir Khan on casting Tiger Shroff in his films, The Indian Express (19 July 2017)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/sabbir-khan-on-casting-tiger-shroff-in-his-films-munna-michael-4758385/)
13. [Munna Michael director Sabbir Khan on Nawazuddin Siddiqui, The Indian Express (10 July 2017)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/munna-michael-director-sabbir-khan-on-nawazuddin-siddiqui-4744054/)
14. [Sabbir Khan: Mass cinema must evolve with intellect, Bollywood Chronicle (16 October 2026)](https://bollywoodchronicle.com/sabbir-khan-mass-cinema-evolve-intellect/)
15. [Sabbir Khan profile, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/sabbir-khan/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters › Indian and South Asian film directors › Hindi cinema directors › Contemporary Hindi directors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license