# Vikramaditya Motwane (विक्रमादित्य मोतवाने)
**Vikramaditya Motwane** (विक्रमादित्य मोतवाने; born 1976 in Bombay, now Mumbai) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer working primarily in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema), known for *Udaan*, *Lootera*, *Trapped*, and for co-creating and co-directing *Sacred Games*, Netflix's first Indian original series.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003939/filmotype) A partner in the Phantom Films collective alongside [Anurag Kashyap](https://www.edgepedia.org/anurag-kashyap), Vikas Bahl, and [Madhu Mantena](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhu-mantena), he has alternated between directing his own features and producing films such as *Queen*, *NH10*, *Masaan*, and *Udta Punjab*.[2](https://openthemagazine.com/cinema/the-loneliness-of-being-vikramaditya-motwane) Commentators describe his career as unusually varied for Hindi film, with no recurring genre, cast, or stylistic template across his projects.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Bombay (Mumbai), India[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Vikramaditya-Motwane/movies) |
| Directorial debut | *Udaan* (2010), the only Indian film selected for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, competing in Un Certain Regard[5](https://sightlines.media/film/45316/udaan-2010) |
| Signature claim | "I think I am known for the lack of a signature style," in his own words[6](https://www.theweek.in/theweek/leisure/2023/04/14/filmmaker-vikramaditya-motwane-interview.html) |
| Streaming landmark | Showrunner and co-director of *Sacred Games* (2018), Netflix's first Indian original series[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003939/filmotype) |
| Producing record | As part of Phantom Films, produced films including *Queen*, *NH10*, *Masaan*, and *Udta Punjab*[2](https://openthemagazine.com/cinema/the-loneliness-of-being-vikramaditya-motwane) |
| Recent work | *CTRL* (2024), Hindi cinema's first screenlife thriller, and the Netflix prison drama *Black Warrant* (2025)[7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/vikramaditya-motwane-interview-ctrl-alternate-ending-bandersnatch-ananya-panday-screenlife-thriller-netflix-101728025646265-amp.html) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003939/filmotype) |
| Next project | *Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story*, slated for 14 May 2027[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/vikramaditya-motwane/filmography/director/) |
## Early career
Motwane began as an assistant director on [Sanjay Leela Bhansali](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjay-leela-bhansali)'s romantic tragedies *Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam* (1999) and *[Devdas](https://www.edgepedia.org/devdas-2002-hindi-film)* (2002), and also assisted on Anurag Kashyap's *Paanch*.[9](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/vikramaditya-motwane/biography.html) He then moved into writing, contributing screenplays to the [John Abraham](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-abraham) football drama *Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal* (2007) and to Kashyap's *Dev.D* (2009).[10](https://guides.justwatch.com/in/best-vikramaditya-motwane-movies-shows-where-to-watch)
## Udaan and the new Hindi cinema
**Udaan (2010)** made his reputation. Set in the steel town of [Jamshedpur](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamshedpur), the film follows Rohan (Rajat Barmecha), a seventeen-year-old expelled from boarding school and returned to his father Bhairav Singh ([Ronit Roy](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronit-roy)), whose household is a cycle of physical and emotional abuse; Rohan's half-brother Arjun is caught in the same household, and Rohan's resistance crystallizes when he sees the mistreatment extended to the child.[5](https://sightlines.media/film/45316/udaan-2010) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/) The film screened in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, the only Indian film selected there in 2010, and is cited as a marker of the independent-minded "new" Hindi cinema that consolidated around Anurag Kashyap's circle at the turn of the 2010s, alongside *Dev.D* (2009), *Love Sex Aur Dhokha* (2010), and *Gangs of Wasseypur* (2012).[5](https://sightlines.media/film/45316/udaan-2010) Critics noted Motwane's direction for restraint unusual in mainstream Hindi cinema of the moment, and [Amit Trivedi](https://www.edgepedia.org/amit-trivedi)'s songs functioning as interior monologue rather than spectacle.[5](https://sightlines.media/film/45316/udaan-2010) Ronit Roy's performance revived his film career.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vikramaditya-motwane-bhavesh-joshi-superhero-5180052/)
## Features across genres
Motwane's second film, **Lootera** (13 July release date printed as 5 July 2013 in filmographies), adapted [O. Henry](https://www.edgepedia.org/o-henry)'s short story *The Last Leaf* and starred [Ranveer Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/ranveer-singh) and [Sonakshi Sinha](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonakshi-sinha); it is both a tragic love story and a tale of hope, and reviewers noted the restrained performances Motwane drew from leads previously known for more exuberant roles.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/) • [12](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/how-i-made-udaan-lootera-trapped/20170327.htm) It divided audiences but drew attention to his direction.[12](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/how-i-made-udaan-lootera-trapped/20170327.htm)
The survival thriller **Trapped** (2017), starring [Rajkummar Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajkummar-rao), placed a single man in an extended confinement scenario, and the vigilante action film **Bhavesh Joshi Superhero** (2018) followed.[2](https://openthemagazine.com/cinema/the-loneliness-of-being-vikramaditya-motwane) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/) *Bhavesh Joshi* underperformed on release but has since gathered an audience as a cult favorite.[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/bhavesh-joshi-superhero-vikramaditya-motwane-harsh-varrdhan-kapoor-cult-hit-8638645/lite/) The metafictional *AK vs AK* (2020), starring [Anil Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/anil-kapoor) and Anurag Kashyap, came next.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/)
## Streaming and recent work
The growth of streaming platforms in India changed Motwane's output. With Kashyap he was showrunner and co-director of **Sacred Games** (2018), the first Indian original web series on Netflix.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/) He created the Amazon Prime Video series **Jubilee** (2023), a ten-episode period drama set in the golden age of Hindi cinema, built around a fictionalized version of Bombay Talkies called Roy Talkies and mixing real incidents of the era with invented characters.[14](https://www.mansworldindia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/the-interview-qa-with-vikramaditya-motwane) • [6](https://www.theweek.in/theweek/leisure/2023/04/14/filmmaker-vikramaditya-motwane-interview.html)
**CTRL** (2024) is a screenlife thriller, a film whose events unfold entirely on computer and phone screens; Motwane has described his fascination with pioneering screenlife films such as *Unfriended* (2014) and *Searching* (2018).[7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/vikramaditya-motwane-interview-ctrl-alternate-ending-bandersnatch-ananya-panday-screenlife-thriller-netflix-101728025646265-amp.html) In 2025 he created and directed episodes of the Netflix series **Black Warrant**, about the Tihar jail setting and the young jailer Sunil Gupta (played by [Zahan Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/zahan-kapoor)); reviewers connected Gupta's arc to Rohan's in *Udaan*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003939/filmotype) • [15](https://www.moneycontrol.com/entertainment/ott/vikramaditya-motwane-interview-article-12979372.html)
His slate includes *Lust Stories 3* and *Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story*, the latter slated for 14 May 2027.[8](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/vikramaditya-motwane/filmography/director/)
## Themes and style
Commentary on his work identifies recurring concerns even as genres change: courage and cowardice as life choices that define a character's path, the human need for dignity and acceptance from family and society, and power struggles between men in father-son relationships, friendships, and workplace hierarchies.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/) His protagonists tend to be ordinary characters who become heroes through events rather than arriving as heroes; Rohan in *Udaan* and the con artist Varun in *Lootera* are examples he has been discussed through.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vikramaditya-motwane-bhavesh-joshi-superhero-5180052/)
Motwane himself frames the variety as deliberate: each story demands a different treatment, the script matters more than the director's stamp, and he enjoys experimenting across period drama, action thriller, and survival genres.[14](https://www.mansworldindia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/the-interview-qa-with-vikramaditya-motwane) • [6](https://www.theweek.in/theweek/leisure/2023/04/14/filmmaker-vikramaditya-motwane-interview.html)
## References
1. [Vikramaditya Motwane filmography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003939/filmotype)
2. [The Loneliness of Being Vikramaditya Motwane, Open Magazine](https://openthemagazine.com/cinema/the-loneliness-of-being-vikramaditya-motwane)
3. [Black Warrant, Udaan and Lootera, Vikramaditya Motwane and the art of never making the same film twice, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/black-warrant-udaan-and-lootera-vikramaditya-motwane-and-the-art-of-never-making-the-same-film-twice-9787306/)
4. [Vikramaditya Motwane movies and filmography, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Vikramaditya-Motwane/movies)
5. [Udaan (2010), dir. Vikramaditya Motwane, Sightlines](https://sightlines.media/film/45316/udaan-2010)
6. ["I am known for the lack of signature style": Vikramaditya Motwane interview, The Week](https://www.theweek.in/theweek/leisure/2023/04/14/filmmaker-vikramaditya-motwane-interview.html)
7. [Vikramaditya Motwane breaks down CTRL's alternate ending, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/vikramaditya-motwane-interview-ctrl-alternate-ending-bandersnatch-ananya-panday-screenlife-thriller-netflix-101728025646265-amp.html)
8. [Vikramaditya Motwane filmography, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/vikramaditya-motwane/filmography/director/)
9. [विक्रमादित्य मोटवानी जीवनी, Filmibeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/celebs/vikramaditya-motwane/biography.html)
10. [Every Vikramaditya Motwane Movie and Show Ranked, JustWatch](https://guides.justwatch.com/in/best-vikramaditya-motwane-movies-shows-where-to-watch)
11. [The 'niche' films of Vikramaditya Motwane, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vikramaditya-motwane-bhavesh-joshi-superhero-5180052/)
12. [Vikramaditya Motwane: How I made Udaan, Lootera, Trapped, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/how-i-made-udaan-lootera-trapped/20170327.htm)
13. [Bhavesh Joshi Superhero: cult film, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/bhavesh-joshi-superhero-vikramaditya-motwane-harsh-varrdhan-kapoor-cult-hit-8638645/lite/)
14. [The Interview: Q&A with Vikramaditya Motwane, Man's World India](https://www.mansworldindia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/the-interview-qa-with-vikramaditya-motwane)
15. [Vikramaditya Motwane interview, Moneycontrol](https://www.moneycontrol.com/entertainment/ott/vikramaditya-motwane-interview-article-12979372.html)
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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 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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