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Varun Grover (writer)

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Varun Grover
Varun Grover in Stockholm 2024
Varun Grover in Stockholm 2024
Born (1980-01-26) 26 January 1980 (age 44)
Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, India
Occupation
NationalityIndian
Alma materIndian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi
Years active2004—present
Notable worksMasaan, Udta Punjab, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Sacred Games, RRR

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]

Early life and education

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Grover 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

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In 2017, Varun Grover released Beete Dino Ke Geet,[18] a song in collaboration with US-based producer Krishna Chetan.

Filmography

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Films

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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

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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

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  • Paper Chor (2018), Jugnoo Prakashan
  • Biksu (2019), Ektara India
  • Karejwa (2020), Bakarmaxindia

Awards and nominations

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Varun Grover at the 63rd National Film Awards receiving award for Best Lyrics for Dum Laga Ke Haisha
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

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References

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  1. ^ a b "63rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. ^ Pal, Divya (28 March 2016). "National Award winning lyricist Varun Grover recalls initial reactions to 'Moh Moh Ke Dhaage'". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Varun Grover (Civil 2003) wins award as Best Lyricist at 63rd National Film Awards 2016". Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  4. ^ "The worst time for comedy is the best time for comedy: Varun Grover". India Today. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Varun Grover on adapting Sacred Games, and why pro-establishment comedy is against Indian culture". Firstpost. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  6. ^ "All India Rank | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Vinod Kambli was reduced to his assumed ('lowest') caste identity". 12 July 2020.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Brutal censors give another route to creativity: 'Masaan' writer Varun Grover". The Indian Express. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Liberal in his thoughts". Daily Post India. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  12. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Varun Grover on His Journey, the Film Industry, & Sexism in Standup Comedy". The Better India. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Neeraj Ghaywan, Varun Grover to donate National Award prize money to farmers". The Indian Express. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  15. ^ Jha, Lata (5 August 2015). "Masaan man Varun Grover's journey: A civil engineer turned Bollywood scriptwriter". Mint.
  16. ^ "Review: The Criminal Life in Mumbai in 'Sacred Games'". The New York Times. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Sacred Games review: The Devil of the Details". The Indian Express. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Indian music and cinema are tough nuts to crack: Varun Grover". mid-day.com. 27 May 2017.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ a b c "Brutal censors give another route to creativity: 'Masaan' writer Varun Grover". The Indian Express. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Yes, 'Bombay Velvet' Is Pretty Atrocious, But We Should Not Be Happy About It". Huffington Post. 15 May 2015.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Before watching Padmaavat, check out comedian Varun Grover's hilarious take on the film". Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  24. ^ "'I don't want to be Anand Bakshi'" (Interview). Interviewed by Aseem Chhabra. Mumbai: Rediff.com. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Idiot Box | Red Chillies Entertainments". 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011.
  26. ^ "Sacred Games writers didn t want to load the script with sex or violence". mid-day. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Winner - Producers Guild of India". Producers Guild of India. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Winners of 11th Renault Sony Guild Awards". Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  29. ^ "Check out the nominees for Filmfare Awards 2016". DNA. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  30. ^ a b c "67th Wolf777news Filmfare Awards 2022 with Government of Maharashtra". Filmfare. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  31. ^ "National Awards winner, 2016". The Times Of India. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  32. ^ "Zee Cine Awards: Complete List of Winners". NDTV. 21 February 2016.
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