Varun Grover (born 26 January 1980) is an Indian lyricist, writer, stand-up comedian and filmmaker. He won the award for Best Lyricist at the 63rd National Film Awards in 2015.[1][2][3] He co-created the political satire group Aisi Taisi Democracy,[4][5] and his debut film, All India Rank, closed the 52nd Rotterdam International Film Festival, in 2023.[6] Grover also performs stand-up comedy, writes poetry and acts.[7]
Varun Grover | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Varun Grover in Stockholm 2024 | |
| Born | 26 January 1980 Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Occupation | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi |
| Years active | 2004—present |
| Notable works | Masaan, Udta Punjab, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Sacred Games, RRR |
Early life and education
editGrover was born in Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, to a school-teacher mother and army engineer father, and belongs to a Punjabi Hindu family.[8] His paternal grandfather originally lived in Faisalabad, a city in the Punjab Province of British India. After the partition of India, Faisalabad became a part of the West Punjab province of Pakistan, due to which he moved to Jagadhri in present-day Haryana, where he settled and eventually started a business of sign painting for shops. In the early 1950s, a cinema hall opened in Jagadhri wherein he went on to design posters for the hall. He instructed his two elder sons, Varun's uncles and his father's brothers, to also make such posters. This led the family to gain an interest in watching movies, many of which they watched at the same cinema hall, in which Varun's grandfather also took his father. Varun accredits this for his interest in films, as he "inherited the same addiction from [his] father".[9] Varun spent his initial years in Dehradun, Uttarakhand and Sundernagar, before moving to Lucknow for his adolescent years. He studied civil engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, graduating in 2003.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
Music
editIn 2017, Varun Grover released Beete Dino Ke Geet,[18] a song in collaboration with US-based producer Krishna Chetan.
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyricist | Writer | Director | Actor | Notes | ||
| 2006 | Ghoom | No | Dialogues | No | No | |
| 2009 | Accident on Hill Road | No | Dialogues | No | No | |
| 2011[19] | That Girl in Yellow Boots | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2012[20] | Peddlers | Yes | No | No | No | |
| Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1[20] | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| 2013[19] | Prague | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2014[19] | Katiyabaaz[19] | Yes | No | No | No | |
| Ankhon Dekhi | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| 2015 | Dum Laga Ke Haisha[19] | Yes | No | No | No | Won National Film Award for Best Lyrics |
| Bombay Velvet [21] | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| Masaan [20] | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2016[22] | Zubaan | Yes | No | No | No | |
| Fan | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Raman Raghav 2.0[22] | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Udta Punjab | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| 2017[23] | Newton | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2018 | Kaala | Yes | No | No | No | |
| Sui Dhaaga | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| 2019 | Sonchiriya | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2021 | Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2022 | RRR | Yes | No | No | No | Lyricist for the Hindi version |
| Badhaai Do | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Monica, O My Darling | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Samrat Prithviraj | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| Kiss | No | Yes | Yes | No | Short film | |
| Qala | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2023 | Dunki | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2024 | Merry Christmas | |||||
| All India Rank | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Feature directorial debut | |
| Jigra | Yes | No | No | No | ||
| 2025 | Superboys Of Malegaon | No | Yes | No | No | |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Credited as |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–2006[13] | The Great Indian Comedy Show | Writer |
| 2007 | SAB Ka Bheja Fry | |
| 2007–2008 | Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun?[24] | |
| 2008–2009 | Oye! It's Friday![13] | |
| 2008–2009 | 10 Ka Dum | |
| 2009 | Ghar Ki Baat Hai[25] | |
| 2009–2013[26] | Jay Hind! | |
| 2018–2019 | Sacred Games | Writer and Executive producer |
Books
edit- Paper Chor (2018), Jugnoo Prakashan
- Biksu (2019), Ektara India
- Karejwa (2020), Bakarmaxindia
Awards and nominations
edit_for_Dum_Laga_Ke_Haisha,_at_the_63rd_National_Film_Awards_Function,_in_New_Delhi.jpg)
| Award | Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award | 2013 | "Womaniya"–Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 | Best Lyrics | Nominated | |
| 2016 | "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"–Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Won | [27][28] | ||
| Filmfare Awards | 2016 | "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"–Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Best Lyricist | Nominated | [29] |
| 2022 | Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar | Best Story | Nominated | [30] | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | [30] | |||
| Best Dialogue | Won | [30] | |||
| Global Indian Music Academy Awards | 2016 | "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"–Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Best Lyricist | Won | |
| Best Film Song | Nominated | ||||
| Mirchi Music Awards | 2014 | "Aayi Bahar"–Ankhon Dekhi | Raag-Inspired Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2016 | "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"–Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Lyricist of the Year | Won | ||
| 2017 | Udta Punjab | Album of the Year | Nominated | ||
| National Film Awards | 2016 | "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"–Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Best Lyrics | Won | [31][1] |
| Times of India Film Awards | 2016 | Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Best Lyrics | Won | |
| Zee Cine Awards | 2016 | "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage"–Dum Laga Ke Haisha | Best Lyricist | Won | [32] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "63rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ Pal, Divya (28 March 2016). "National Award winning lyricist Varun Grover recalls initial reactions to 'Moh Moh Ke Dhaage'". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "Varun Grover (Civil 2003) wins award as Best Lyricist at 63rd National Film Awards 2016". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "The worst time for comedy is the best time for comedy: Varun Grover". India Today. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Varun Grover on adapting Sacred Games, and why pro-establishment comedy is against Indian culture". Firstpost. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "All India Rank | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Vinod Kambli was reduced to his assumed ('lowest') caste identity". 12 July 2020.
- ^ Akshay Manwani (24 July 2016), "Varun Grover interview: ‘The lack of respect for writers stays with you, but also fuels you’", Scroll.in. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ Grover, Varun (21 February 2024). Sab Achhi Baatein | All India Rank | Varun Grover - Spoken Fest (video) (in Hindi). India: Kommune India. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Brutal censors give another route to creativity: 'Masaan' writer Varun Grover". The Indian Express. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ "Liberal in his thoughts". Daily Post India. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Varun Grover on His Journey, the Film Industry, & Sexism in Standup Comedy". The Better India. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ a b c Jha, Lata (5 August 2015). "Masaan man Varun Grover's journey: A civil engineer turned Bollywood scriptwriter". livemint.com. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ "Neeraj Ghaywan, Varun Grover to donate National Award prize money to farmers". The Indian Express. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Jha, Lata (5 August 2015). "Masaan man Varun Grover's journey: A civil engineer turned Bollywood scriptwriter". Mint.
- ^ "Review: The Criminal Life in Mumbai in 'Sacred Games'". The New York Times. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Sacred Games review: The Devil of the Details". The Indian Express. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Indian music and cinema are tough nuts to crack: Varun Grover". mid-day.com. 27 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Loved the simplicity of 'Tu kisi rail si…': Varun Grover". The Indian Express. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ a b c "Brutal censors give another route to creativity: 'Masaan' writer Varun Grover". The Indian Express. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ "Yes, 'Bombay Velvet' Is Pretty Atrocious, But We Should Not Be Happy About It". Huffington Post. 15 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Varun Grover, lyricist of many Phantom films, SLAMS Vikas Bahl for sexually abusing a female employee!". dna. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ "Before watching Padmaavat, check out comedian Varun Grover's hilarious take on the film". Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ "'I don't want to be Anand Bakshi'" (Interview). Interviewed by Aseem Chhabra. Mumbai: Rediff.com. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Idiot Box | Red Chillies Entertainments". 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Sacred Games writers didn t want to load the script with sex or violence". mid-day. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ^ "Winner - Producers Guild of India". Producers Guild of India. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Winners of 11th Renault Sony Guild Awards". Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Check out the nominees for Filmfare Awards 2016". DNA. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "67th Wolf777news Filmfare Awards 2022 with Government of Maharashtra". Filmfare. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "National Awards winner, 2016". The Times Of India. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Zee Cine Awards: Complete List of Winners". NDTV. 21 February 2016.
