With Ramayana Part One, the celebrated director Nitesh Tiwari is poised to bring one of India’s most cherished epics to the cinema screen. Renowned for his emotional resonance, relatable characters, and captivating storytelling, Tiwari has established a distinctive niche in Indian filmmaking.
From touching dramas to socially relevant stories and nostalgic coming-of-age narratives, his directorial approach has consistently resonated with viewers. As excitement grows for his ambitious retelling of *Ramayana*, let’s revisit 10 films helmed by Nitesh Tiwari that highlight the diversity, skill, and cinematic excellence of the visionary behind this mythological adaptation.
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1. Chillar Party (2011)
- IMDb Rating-7.5/10
- Role(s)- Direction & Story by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- YouTube
- Release Date 8 July 2011
- Runtime- 2 hours 10 minutes
- Starring- Rohan Grover, Irfan Khan, & others
About the Movie- The children of a society make friends with an orphan and his dog, Bhidu. But when a scheming politician plans to get rid of stray dogs, they all come up with a plan to save their four-legged friend.
The director started his filmmaking journey with this film as a co-director with Vikas Bahl. It marked his directorial debut, and the movie won the National Award for Best Children’s Film. The script was written just for fun while they were working on advertising, and when they pitched it, various directors turned them down. Vikas Bahl persuaded Tiwari to co-direct it, and the rest is history. The movie became a sleeper hit and a launchpad for Nitesh Tiwari, the director.
2. Bhootnath Returns (2014)
- IMDb Rating-6.5/10
- Role(s)- Direction, Story, Screenplay & Dialogues by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- JioHotstar
- Release Date- 11 April 2014
- Runtime- 2 hours 35 minutes
- Starring- Amitabh Bachchan, Parth Bhalerao, & others
About the Movie- Bhoothnath returns to Earth to scare small children, but he meets Akhrot, a fearless boy, who is far from scared. Together, they decide to go against Bhau, a corrupt political leader.
Nitesh Tiwari has not only directed this movie but also written story, screenplay and dialogues for it. His co-writers are Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain and Nikhil Mehrotra. The movie received positive reviews for blending entertainment with civic messaging and sparked movement by Election Commission of India to make it tax-free for public. It earned around 150 crore at the Box Office.
3. Dangal (2016)
- IMDb Rating-8.3/10
- Role(s)- Direction, Dialogue, Screenplay, & Story by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- YouTube
- Release Date-21 December 2016
- Runtime- 2 hours 41 minutes
- Starring- Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Sheikh & others
About the Movie- Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler, decided to fulfill his dream of winning a gold medal for his country by training his daughters for the Commonwealth Games despite the existing social stigmas.
This Aamir Khan starrer proved to be a stepping stone for Nitesh Tiwari as a director. He has also written the dialogues, screenplay, and story of the film. The movie went on to become one of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters, earning 2000 crore globally, earning various awards and accolades too. Nitesh Tiwari won the Filmfare Award for Best Director and Telstra’s People’s Choice Award at the 2017 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
4. Chhichhore (2019)
- IMDb Rating-8.3/10
- Role(s)- Direction, Screenplay, Story & Story by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- JioHotstar
- Release Date- 6 September 2019
- Runtime- 2 hours 23 minutes
- Starring- Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor & others
About the Movie- A tragic incident forces Anirudh, a middle-aged man, to take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about his college days along with his friends, who were labelled as losers.
Nitesh Tiwari served as the director and co-writer of the story and screenplay for this Sushant Singh starrer movie. The director helmed this coming-of-age comedy-drama, guiding performances, visual style, and the film’s emotional tone. The film is inspired by his own four years at IIT Bombay and captures hostel-life nostalgia. He has searched for a meaningful reason to tell this story, and once found, structured the film to serve that emotional core.
5. Break Point (2021)
- IMDb Rating-8.7/10
- Role(s)- Direction, Production, & Story by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- Zee5
- Release Date- 1 October 2021
- Runtime- 7 episodes of 38 minutes each
- Starring- Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza & others
About the Movie- The series traces the incredible journey of Indian tennis legends Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. From their meteoric rise to their shocking split, watch their story of hard work, conflict, and hope.
Nitesh Tiwari has directed, produced, and written the story of this series. He has co-directed this series along with his wife, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and it has been produced under his own banner, Earthsky Pictures. Tiwari worked hard for the series by conducting in-depth interviews, curating archival material, and shaping narrative arcs, particularly bromance to bromance-to-breakup story emphasizing the duo’s vulnerable emotional side.
6. Bawaal (2023)
- IMDb Rating-6.6/10
- Role(s)- Direction, Production, Screenplay & Dialogue by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- Amazon Prime Video
- Release Date- 21 July 2023
- Runtime- 2 hours 17 minutes
- Starring- Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor & others
About the Movie- A small-town boy falls in love with the most beautiful girl in town. He eventually gets married to her only because he realizes that their marriage can help him climb the social ladder.
Nitesh Tiwari served as the director and co-writer of the 2023 romantic drama starring Varun and Janhvi. He guided the overall narrative visuals and performances in this emotive adventure-drama set partly across Europe and historical sites. Tiwari has crafted the screenplay alongside Piyush Gupta, Nikhil Mehrotra, and Shreyas Jain, with the story credited to Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari. The movie has been produced under Earthsky Pictures and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and released directly on an OTT platform.
7. Kill Dil (2014)
- IMDb Rating-4.5/10
- Role(s)- Dialogue, Screenplay, & Story by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- Amazon Prime Video
- Release Date- 14 November 2014
- Runtime- 2 hours 7 minutes
- Starring- Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra & others
About the Movie- Criminals Dev and Tutu are gangster Bhaiyaji’s most trusted aides and revere him deeply. However, when Dev falls in love with Disha, he decides to mend his ways and, sadly, earns his mentor’s ire.
Tiwari served as story writer, screenplay writer, and dialogue writer for this movie. The narrative framework and dramatic sequence were developed by Nitesh along with Shreyas Jain and Nikhil Mehrotra. He even crafted the movie’s conversational tone, punchlines, and character voices.
8. Nil Battey Sannata (2014)
- IMDb Rating-8.2/10
- Role(s)- Dialogue, Screenplay, & Story by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- Zee5
- Release Date- 22 April 2016
- Runtime- 1 hour 44 minutes
- Starring- Swara Bhaskar, Pankaj Tripathi & others
About the Movie- Apeksha hates studying since she thinks it is a futile effort owing to their financial status. To solve this problem, her mother, Chanda, comes up with a unique strategy to motivate her daughter.
Tiwari did not direct this film but he wrote the dialogues, screenplay, and story. He has co-written the story with Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Neeraj Singh and Pranjal Choudhary and has been recognized as the source ofthe original story idea. He also listed as one of the producers of the movie.
9. Tumse Na Ho Payega (2023)
- IMDb Rating- 7.6/10
- Role(s)- Producer, Dialogue & Screenplay by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- JioHotstar
- Release Date- 29 September 2023
- Runtime- 2 hours 12 minutes
- Starring- Mahima Makwana, Ishwak Singh & others
About the Movie- Upon losing her job, a man decides to break free from societal pressures and become an entrepreneur with his friends. However, his new venture comes with a new set of problems.
Nitesh Tiwari helmed the production chair, along with writing the dialogues and the screenplay for this movie. The script was co-written with Nikhil Mehrotra and Varun Agarwal, and Tiwari also backed the movie via Earthsky Pictures along with his wife, Ronnie Screwvala, and Siddhartha Roy Kapur. He framed the story to resonate with today’s youth, aiming to encourage viewers to define success on their own terms.
10. Bareily Ki Barfi (2023)
- IMDb Rating-7.5/10
- Role(s)- Dialogue, Story & Screenplay by Nitesh Tiwari
- Streaming on- Netflix India
- Release Date- 18 August 2017
- Runtime- 2 hours 2 minutes
- Starring- Kriti Sanon, Ayushman Khurana & others
About the Movie- After reading a book that changes her life, Bitti is intent on meeting the author. Her quest takes her to a publisher, Chirag, who leads her to believe that the writer is Pritam Vidrohi.
This was Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s first movie as a director, but he played a key creative role, as the screenplay and story were written by him, which was the core of the film. Tiwari even went on to win the Zee Cine Award for Best Dialogue and Best Screenplay. This quirky romantic comedy was adapted from Nicholas Barreau’s French Novel The Ingredients of Love, infusing the local quirks and realism of the Indian setting.
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