---
name: "Rajkumar Hirani"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/rajkumar-hirani"
fi1m_id: "rajkumar-hirani"
imdb_id: "nm0386246"
tmdb_id: 85675
wikidata_id: "Q3418007"
roles: ["Director","Writer"]
born: "20 November 1962"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "director"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-17T18:25:26.357924+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Rajkumar Hirani

## Identity

Rajkumar Hirani

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/rajkumar-hirani
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** rajkumar-hirani
- **IMDb ID:** nm0386246
- **TMDB ID:** 85675
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3418007
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajkumar_Hirani, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3418007, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0386246/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/85675

Director and writer. Born 20 November 1962 in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer
- **Born:** 20 November 1962, Nagpur, Maharashtra
- **Active:** 2009–2014
- **Frequently works with:** [Aamir Khan](https://film.one/person/aamir-khan.md), [Abhijat Joshi](https://film.one/person/abhijat-joshi.md), [Boman Irani](https://film.one/person/boman-irani.md), [Vidhu Vinod Chopra](https://film.one/person/vidhu-vinod-chopra.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as director, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 78 (1), 2010s 78 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajkumar_Hirani, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3418007, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0386246/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/85675

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*PK*](https://film.one/film/pk.md) (78)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Rajkumar Hirani

> Rajkumar Hirani makes social criticism approachable through jokes and friendships we can believe in. We value his warmth and comic sense, though his fondness for explaining the lesson can turn a generous film into a lengthy piece of advice.

In *3 Idiots* (2009), Aamir Khan's Rancho is so certain that learning should be a pleasure that he nearly makes engineering sound inviting. Hirani gives him friends whose hopes make that conviction matter beyond the classroom. It is a good college comedy because those friendships make the educational pressure personal. The reservation is there in Rancho too: he seems too conveniently equipped to prove the director right.

Hirani established his mixture of comedy and social criticism with his directing debut, *Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.* (2003), and followed it with *Lage Raho Munna Bhai* (2006). *PK* (2014) took on religion and superstition, while the later *Sanju* (2018) moved into biography and *Dunki* (2023) into immigration and friendship. That later stretch has brought complaints about oversimplification in *PK*, sanitising the subject in *Sanju* and manipulation in *Dunki*. We can see the danger in Rancho's certainty, even though Khan makes his enthusiasm entertaining.

What Hirani gets right in *3 Idiots* is the attention paid to the people receiving Rancho's advice. R. Madhavan's Farhan and Sharman Joshi's Raju give it consequences beyond a clever line from the leading man. We were moved when the friends took one another's hopes seriously; Hirani makes their encouragement feel necessary under that educational pressure. The supporting performances are uneven, but he lets affection be spoken plainly, and the friendship remains credible.

The screenplay by Hirani, Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra keeps explaining what these exchanges have already shown. Hirani also edits, and the early jumps in time interrupt the momentum while we are still getting to know the characters. At 171 minutes, the film asks for more patience than its advice requires. His wish to make himself understood is reasonable, but the slow opening and repeated lessons need firmer cutting. Start with *3 Idiots* for Khan and the friendship, with some patience for a director reluctant to finish the lesson.

## Biography

Rajkumar Hirani is an Indian film director, screenwriter and editor of Hindi films. He was born on 20 November 1962 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, and trained in film editing at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

Hirani made his directorial debut with *Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.* (2003), which he also wrote and edited. Subsequent films include *Lage Raho Munna Bhai* (2006), *3 Idiots* (2009), on which he served as director, editor and co-screenwriter, *PK* (2014), on which he served as director, producer, editor, story and screenplay writer, *Sanju* (2018) and *Dunki* (2023). He frequently collaborates with writer Abhijat Joshi.

His films have received multiple National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *PK* (2014), Fi1m 78, Screenplay, Story, Director, Producer, Editor, Dialogue — [page](https://film.one/film/pk.md)
- *3 Idiots* (2009), Fi1m 78, Editor, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/3-idiots.md)

## Complete filmography (18)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Pritam and Pedro* (2026), series, Producer, Story, Screenplay, Dialogue, Editor, Creator
- *Dunki* (2023), Director, Writer, Producer, Editor
- *Sanju* (2018), Director, Producer, Editor, Screenplay, Story
- *3 Idiotas* (2017), Screenstory
- *Wazir* (2016), Producer
- *PK* (2014), Director, Producer, Story, Editor, Dialogue, Screenplay — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/pk.md)
- *Nanban* (2012), Original Story
- *3 Idiots* (2009), Editor, Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/3-idiots.md)
- *Shankar Dada Zindabad* (2007), Story
- *Lage Raho Munna Bhai* (2006), Writer, Editor, Director
- *Shankar Dada M.B.B.S.* (2004), Original Film Writer
- *Vasool Raja MBBS* (2004), Original Story
- *Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.* (2003), Director, Editor, Screenplay
- *Mission Kashmir* (2000), Editor
- *The Eight Column Affair* (1987), Assistant Director, Editor
- *4 Idiots - 2028 TBC*, Director
- *Untitled Dadasaheb Phalke Biopic*, Director
- *Lalkaara*, Producer

## Gallery

- ![Rajkumar Hirani](https://film.one/media/person/102759/gallery-9a1344296e74.jpg) Rajkumar Hirani — Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Rajkumar_hirani_at_suresh_hiranis_funeral.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Recipients of Filmfare Cine Icon Award 2025 namely Bimal Roy, Meena Kumari, Dilip Kumar, Nutan, Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sridevi, Kajol,](https://film.one/media/person/102759/gallery-72f9bd9bc627.png) Recipients of Filmfare Cine Icon Award 2025 namely Bimal Roy, Meena Kumari, Dilip Kumar, Nutan, Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sridevi, Kajol, — Derivative from five free works originally uploaded from BollywoodHungama, three free works originally uploaded from Government of India, one original free work and one free work under public domain by OTRS permission for cc-by-sa-3.0 use; cropped & combined by Vrishchik, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Filmfare_Cine_Icon_Awards.png/1280px-Filmfare_Cine_Icon_Awards.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![millimeter rahul kumar 3 idiots fame shoots for next project in shillong ! (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/102759/gallery-a0b24de8f631.jpg) millimeter rahul kumar 3 idiots fame shoots for next project in shillong ! (2017) — Saaksshi.nag, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Rahul_kumar_actor_3_idiots_shoot.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Raju Hirani at the 15th Asian Australasian Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 68th Annual Conference of The Neurological Society of India, and the International (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/102759/gallery-84d8f877922f.jpg) Raju Hirani at the 15th Asian Australasian Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 68th Annual Conference of The Neurological Society of India, and the International (2019) — Commons12345, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Raju_Hirani_at_the_15th_Asian_Australasian_Congress_of_Neurological_Surgeons%2C_68th_Annual_Conference_of_The_Neurological_Society_of_India%2C_and_the_International_Meningioma_Society_Congress%2C_in_Mumbai.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 5 won

- Filmfare Award for Best Director 2010: Filmfare Award for Best Director (won), for *3 Idiots*
- CNN-News18 Indian of the Year 2006: CNN-News18 Indian of the Year (won)
- Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay 2004: Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay (won), for *Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.*
- Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie 2004: Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie (won), for *Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.*
- National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment 2004: National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (won), for *Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/rajkumar-hirani