Neeraj Pandey

Neeraj Pandey Biography

Neeraj Pandey (born 17 December 1973) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He is known for directing and creating thriller, espionage and crime-based films and OTT series, including A Wednesday!, Special 26, Baby, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, the Special Ops franchise, The Freelancer, the Khakee franchise and Taskaree. He is the co-founder of Friday Filmworks and Friday Storytellers.

Pandey was born and raised in Howrah, West Bengal. His father, originally from Arrah in Bihar, worked for Bosch in Kolkata. He attended St. Aloysius High School, Howrah, before completing his higher secondary education at St. Thomas’ High School, Dasnagar, Howrah. He then moved to New Delhi, where he graduated in English from Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi.

He began his career in media and entertainment with Legacy Entertainment in New Delhi, a company set up by the Dalmia Group to make television programmes. In 2000 he moved to Mumbai, where he worked on documentaries, advertising, films and television productions, and co-founded Quarter Inch Productions with producer Shital Bhatia. In 2008 the two established Friday Filmworks, under which Pandey made his directorial debut with A Wednesday! (2008); the film won the National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. He followed it with Special 26 (2013), inspired by the 1987 Opera House heist, the espionage thriller Baby (2015) and the biographical sports drama M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016). Alongside directing, he has produced or written films including Rustom (2016), Naam Shabana and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Vikram Vedha (2022). In 2019 he co-founded Friday Storytellers, the digital content division of Friday Filmworks, which has produced his streaming work. He is also the author of the novel Ghalib Danger (2013).

Basic Details

• Full Name: Neeraj Pandey
• Date of Birth: 17 December 1973
• Birthplace: Howrah, West Bengal, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Profession: Film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist
• Years Active: 2008 – present (as director)
• Current Base: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Education: St. Aloysius High School, Howrah; St. Thomas’ High School, Dasnagar; Sri Aurobindo College, University of Delhi (English)
• Production Companies: Friday Filmworks (2008), Friday Storytellers (2019)
• Known For: Thrillers, crime dramas and espionage stories

Career Highlights