Zeishan Quadri

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Zeishan Quadri
Born1982or1983(age 41–42) [1]
Wasseypur, Bihar
(now Jharkhand), India
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Writer, Actor, Producer, Director
Years active2009–present

Zeishan Quadri is an Indian writer, actor, director and producer [2] who wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay for the Bollywood crime genre film Gangs of Wasseypur , directed by Anurag Kashyap. Quadri has also acted in Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 . He has directed and produced the film Meeruthiya Gangsters . [3]

Contents

Early life

Zeishan Quadri was born in Wasseypur, Dhanbad, Bihar (now in Jharkhand) in 1983. [4] He is the only son and the youngest child of Syed Imran Quadri, a civil engineer. Quadri grew up in a strict and protective environment. He has two elder sisters. [5] Quadri was educated in Dhanbad. Quadri left Dhanbad to study for Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Meerut. Quadri worked in a call center and for HCL computers in Delhi for 18 months before coming to Mumbai in 2008. [6]

Film career

2009-2012: Career beginnings and Gangs of Wasseypur

In 2009, Quadri moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. [7] [8] Quadri studied world cinema including film makers such as Majid Majidi, Fateh Akın and Akira Kurosawa. [9] In 2009, he met director Anurag Kashyap and pitched him the story of Wasseypur. Quadri negotiated to write the script and play the character "Definite" in the second part. [10] [11] [12] [13] On May 30, 2009, Quadri's story was sold to Kashyap. Based on real life events in the coal rich city of Dhanbad, it was a story about the "coal mafia" that spans several generations from 1941 to 2010. Gangs of Wasseypur, initially shot as a five hour long film, was released as a duology, with the first part releasing on June 22, 2012, and the second part releasing on August 8, 2012, in the Indian market, after being screened in its entirety at screened at the 2012 Cannes Directors' Fortnight. [14] [15] [16] [17] With an ensemble cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadda, Jaideep Ahlawat, Huma Qureshi, Piyush Mishra and Tigmanshu Dhulia starring in major roles, both films received widespread critical acclaim and were commercially successful at the box office. It has gained a large cult following over the years due to its dark humor, experimental soundtrack, and its raw and realistic filmmaking style not done by any Bollywood film before. [18]

2014: Further successes

He acted in the film Revolver Rani , which was directed by Sai Kabir and starred Kangana Ranaut and Vir Das. [19] [20] [21] In 2014, Quadri acted in the movie Akki, Vikki Te Nikki directed by Vipin Sharma and produced by Bohra Brothers. [22] [23] He was reported to have been working on a script with Madhur Bhandarkar for his then-upcoming movie Madamji starring Priyanka Chopra, but since then, no further developments on the projects have been reported. [24] [25]

In 2015, he was reported to be working on a script Oh Womaniya for Pritish Nandy Communications to be helmed by director Anu Menon, [26] and on the Fardeen Khan starrer Firauti, [27] both of which were eventually shelved. His first film as a director and producer was Meeruthiya Gangsters . [3] The editing of the film was executed by veteran filmmaker Anurag Kashyap who presented the film along with Prateek Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. [28] Quadri visited many cities for the promotion of the film including Aligarh at Aligarh Muslim University. [29] He also acted as the jury member at the university's 8th Filmsaaz. [30]

According to Mumbai Mirror, Anurag Kashyap and Quadri were reported to collaborate on the third installment of the Gangs of Wasseypur franchise, with Kashyap insisting that Quadri writes and directs the film. [31] This claim was eventually debunked by Kashyap in 2024. [32]

Quadri initially planned to produce Sarbjit , and roped in Omung Kumar as the director. [33] The film released in 2016 to mixed reviews. [34]

In 2020, Quadri starred in the non-fiction TV series Bicchoo Ka Khel, which was produced by Ekta Kapoor. [35] [36] He also produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the films Halahal and Chhalaang in the same year.

In 2024, he played a negative lead in the movie Woh Bhi Din The directed by Sajid Ali, produced by John Abraham Entertainment and a deputy CBI officer in Bloody Daddy. [37] [38]

Filmography

Films

YearFilm Director Producer Screenwriter Actor Notes
2012 Gangs of Wasseypur Yes [39]
Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 YesYes
2013 Prague Yes
2014 Revolver Rani Yes
2015 Meeruthiya Gangster YesYesYes [39]
2018 Hotel Milan Yes
2019 Setters Yes
Bhoot PurvaYesWeb series released on ZEE5 [40]
2020 Halahal YesYes
Chhalaang Yes
2023 Bloody Daddy Yes [39]
2024 Woh Bhi Din The Yes

Web series

YearTitleRoleNote
2020 Bicchoo Ka Khel Inspector Nikunj TiwariStreaming on AltBalaji and ZEE5 on November 18 [41]
2021 Your Honor 2 Jagda [42] Sonyliv

Participant: Bigg Boss : 2025

Awards and nominations

YearFilmAwardCategoryResultNotes
2013 Gangs Of Wasseypur SAIFFBest Supporting ActorWon [43]
2013Star Screen AwardBest Dialogue WriterNominated
2013FilmfareBest Dialogue WriterWon
2013TOIFABest Dialogue WriterWon
2013IIFABest Dialogue WriterWon

References

  1. Samarth Goyal (10 November 2016). "Zeishan Quadri has put his acting plans on hold; wants to focus on writing". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  2. "Zeishan Quadri: A regular job wasn't my cup of tea". mytheatrecafe. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Zeishan dons directorial cap with Meeruthiya gangsters". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  4. "Gangs Of Wasseypur makes Zeishan Quadri a rising star". NDTV. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  5. "Badland boy". Hindustan Times. 1 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  6. "Shooting star". telegraphindia.com. 15 November 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  7. "Best of Bollywood, South Cinema, TV and Celebs - MSN India". entertainment.in.msn.com.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. Jyothi Prabhakar (12 July 2012). "Scriptwriting was just a route to become an actor: Zeishan Quadri". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  9. ""Gangs of Wasseypur" writer Zeishan imitates Salman". Daily Times. 21 June 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  10. Zeishan Quadri (16 June 2012). "Zeishan Quadri - Role Play". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  11. "Looking at the REAL Wasseypur". rediff.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  12. "'GOW' writer ready with more real life stories". in.com. 16 August 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  13. Kashyap, Anurag (14 August 2024). "Anurag Kashyap on Gangs of Wasseypur". A Rabbit's Foot. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  14. "Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur selected for Directors' Fortnight at Cannes". DearCinema.com. DearCinema. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  15. "Gangs of Wasseypur: World premiere at Cannes". IBN Live. IANS. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  16. Leffler, Rebecca (24 April 2012). "Cannes 2012: Michel Gondry's 'The We & The I' to Open Director's Fortnight". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  17. "2012 Selection". quinzaine-realisateurs.com. Directors' Fortnight. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
  18. "'You can never tell a film will become a cult while filming it". dtnext.in. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  19. Sweta Kaushal (9 February 2013). "Zeishan Quadri: why does he love crime?". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  20. "Zeishan Quadri turns villain for Banana - NDTV Movies". ndtv.com. 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  21. "Will play my first intense role in Revolver Rani: Vir Das". www.indianexpress.com. 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  22. "Zeishan Quadri". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  23. "Akki, Vikki te Nikki". IMDb. Archived from the original on 5 August 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  24. "Priyanka Chopra's MADAMJI to be scripted by Zeishan Quadri". Glamsham. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  25. "Gangs of Wasseypur writer Zeishan Quadri scripts for Priyanka Chopra and Madhur Bhandarkar's Madamji". BollySpice. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  26. "I keep writing scripts in my mind: Zeishan Quadri". TheTimesOfIndia. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  27. Singh, Shillpi (23 April 2016). "Zeishan Quadri: Making the Write Choices". Newsgram. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  28. [ permanent dead link ]
  29. "IndiaGlitz - Anurag Kashyap is all for Zeishan Quadris Meeruthiya Gangsters". indiaglitz.com. 30 July 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  30. "Acclaimed film personalites attended AMU's eighth Annual International Film Festival". Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  31. "ANURAG KASHYAP GOES BACK TO WASSEYPUR". 8 September 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  32. Rawal, Sugandha (13 August 2024). "Is Gangs of Wasseypur 3 in the making? Anurag Kashyap breaks silence". Hindustan Times . Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  33. "Omung Kumar directed 'Mary Kom' beautifully: Zeishan Quadri". indianexpress.com. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  34. Kumar, Omung (20 May 2016), Sarabjit, archived from the original on 8 August 2018, retrieved 21 February 2016
  35. "Zeishan Quadri and Ekta Kapoor Collab on a new Non-fiction TV Series!". urbanasian.com. 4 October 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  36. Parasuraman, Prathyush (19 November 2020). "Bicchoo Ka Khel Review". Film Companion. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  37. "Zeishan Quadri turns villain for 'Banana'". Business Standard India. BusinessStandard. 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  38. "Woh Bhi Din The Movie Review: Rohit Saraf, Adarsh Gourav's Delayed Coming-Of-Age Saga Is Nostalgic But Indulgent". Times Now. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  39. 1 2 3 "Zeishan Quadri says his role in Bloody Daddy satisfies the actor in him". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  40. "ZEE5 Premieres Horror-Comedy 'Bhoot Purva'". Adgully.com. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  41. "Bicchoo ka Khel: Mirzapur ke Munna Bhaiya ka Banarasi version - Dekhiye Trailer". Weboblivion | Cinema News, Movies, Webseries & Much More. Retrieved 28 October 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  42. Saibal Chatterjee (19 November 2021). "Your Honor 2 Review: Jimmy Sheirgill Leads Web-Series That's Easy To Recommend". ndtv.com . Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  43. "Zeeshan Quadri Awards". Times of India .