Female Directors

Kiran Rao is going full steam ahead with her directorial debut Dhobhi Ghat. And from what we have witnessed, it seems that Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan has found himself an equally talented other half!

Alankrita Shrivastava is coming out of Prakash Jha's shadow with her take on the big Three-Oh. Turning 30!!! has Gul Panag going through a mid-life crisis. Purab Kohli co-stars

Kenya born Gurinder Chadha first shot to fame with Bhaji On The Beach. She then gave us Bend It Like Beckham, and Keira Knightley. Aishwarya Rai was her next heroine in Bride and Prejudice

Mira Nair won our hearts with the 1988's Salaam Bombay!. A few films later she did it again with Monsoon Wedding and The NamesakeAmelia left much to be desired, a Mira Nair movie is always worth looking forward to

With Luck By Chance, Zoya Akhtar proved the creative genes hadn't been passed down only to brother Farhan. Her next Zindagi Milegi na Dobara, has an all star lineup of Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Kalki Coechlin. All eyes will be on Zoya to see if her early success was just luck by chance

Pooja Bhatt tried to fill papa Mahesh's directorial shoes with the disastrous Paap. She went on to direct a Hindi remake of Dirty Dancing titled Holiday, Dhokha and the Himmesh Reshammiya starrer Kajraare. We think she needs to redirect her career choices

Veteran choreographer Farah Khan took up position behind the camera with Main Hoon Na starring buddy SRK. She followed up it's resounding success with Om Shanti Om and 2010's damp squib Tees Maar Khan

Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya is all set to earn her director's cap with Hara starring, surprise surprise, daddy dearest. Formerly called Sultan: The Warrior, the 3D animated film features Rajini Sir in anime form

Critically acclaimed director Deepa Mehta is best known for her hard-hitting Elements trilogy - Earth, Fire and Water. But she also has a lighter side, as proved by Rahul Khanna and Lisa Ray in Bollywood Hollywood

Meghna, daughter of Gulzaar and Rakhee, made her directorial debut with Filhaal, a tale of surrogate motherhood that left moviegoers cold. Her next screen outing was Just Married: Marriage Was Only the Beginning! with a cast that was destined to fail. The most recent of the lot was one of the stories in Dus Kahaniyaan.

Critically acclaimed Aparna Sen made a sensational debut behind the camera with 36, Chowringhee Lane in 1981 which won her a National Award. She has directed movies in Bengali, Hindi and English, among them the award winning Mr & Mrs Iyer and 15, Park Avenue. Most recently, she brought together Rahul Bose and Raime Sen in The Japanese Wife

Arthouse actress Nandita Das won a slew of awards at home and abroad for her first film as director, the chilling Firaaq set against the communal violence in Gujarat.

Dream Girl Hema Malini directed a little known Shah Rukh Khan opposite Divya Bharti in her first film behind the lens, Dil Aashna Hai. The movie was a box office hit but Hema stayed away from the director's chair after the first success. She is now in the middle of a project which stars husband Dharmendra and daughter Esha Deol.

Reema Kagti made a dream directorial debut with Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd featuring an ensemble cast including Shabana Azmi, Amisha Patel and Dia Mirza. Her next, as yet untitled film, will feature the combined star power of Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee

Tanuja Chandra's many films have mostly gone unnoticed. Her best work was showcased in her initial years as a director. 1998's Dushman with Kajol, Sanjay Dutt and Ashutosh Rana was a gripping, if gory, watch. Sangharsh, loosely based on The Silence Of The Lambs, featured a powerhouse performance from Ashutosh Rana and is considered to have been made before it's time

Southern actress Revathi helmed Mitr, My Friend to great acclaim in 2002. She went on to direct Shilpa Shetty in a career best performance as an AIDS victim in Phir Milenge, a Hindi remake of Hollywood hit Philadelphia

Kalpana Lajmi experimented with story lines that explored the darker side of life in the critically acclaimed Rudaali and Daman. Both films won accolades for actresses Dimple Kapadia and Raveena Tandon, including a National Award apiece. Her last movie, Chingaari, was a box office disaster but lead actress Sushmita Sen's performance was praised. Kalpana Lajmi may not set the cash registers ringing, but she does know how to get a a great performance out of her girls

Sai Paranjpye moved to cinema from Marathi theatre with Sparsh which won the National Award. She next directed Farooque Sheikh and Deepti Naval in comedies Chashme Baddoor and Katha. Her most recent big screen outing was Saaz, a fictionalized account of the lives of songstress sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle

Former journalist Anusha Rizvi had a story to tell – and tell it she did, with a little help from producer Aamir Khan. Peepli Live, a satirical examination of farmer suicides in rural India, established Anusha as a director to watch

Leena Yadav has had little luck as a director despite the star cast she inevitable manages to score. Shabd starred Sanjay Dutt, Aishwarya Rai and Zayed Khan but failed to make any sort of dent at the box office. Teen Patti boasted of cinematic tour de forces Amitabh Bachchan and Sir Ben Kingsley but crashed and burned on release. Third time lucky, perhaps?

After lighting up the screen with her girl next door roles in Chasme Baddoor, Rang Birangi and Saath Saath, Deepti Naval is directing Manisha Koirala in Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Char Aane Ki Barish. Watch this space for updates on her foray behind the lens

Sonam Kapoor's performance may been eclipsed by her wardrobe in Aisha but the film did bring director Rajshree Ojha onto the Bollywood radar. Her adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma holds the promise of a successful directorial career

Casting director Lovleen Tandan carved herself a niche in Bollywood and Hollywood when she co-directed Slumdog Millionaire with Danny Boyle. The film's resounding success and awards sweep speaks volumes about Lovleen's talent