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Vikramaditya Motwane is an Indian filmmaker who is known for his experimentation

Vikramaditya Motwane: Beyond Boundaries

January 26, 2025

In 2010, when Vikramaditya Motwane’s debut feature film Udaan had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, it began the journey of a filmmaker whose strong narratives and a distinctive style, would would soon establish him as a leading voice in Indian cinema.

Udaan's critical and commercial success catapulted Vikramaditya Motwane into the forefront of Bollywood, establishing him as a visionary director with a unique voice.

Over the years, working across a range of formats, from films and web series to documentaries, his prodigious output has been marked by formal ambition and political urgency, showcasing his talent for crafting emotionally resonant and visually stunning storytelling.

His sophomore film, Lootera (2013) a period romantic drama loosely inspired from O. Henry's short story The Last Leaf, and starring popular mainstream actors, Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh,  drifts between the realms of thought and action, silence and communication, leaving behind a tender, poetic, and mystifying impression.

It did moderate business at the box-office but that did not stop Motwane to venture into terrains that demanded greater artistic freedom and creative expression.

His next feature film as a director, Trapped (2016), narrates the plight of a young man Shaurya (Rajkummar Rao) getting himself auto-locked inside an apartment in an isolated building without any means for survival.

It is an urban survival drama where Motwane masterfully builds suspense and tension, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

In 2018, Vikramaditya Motwane directed Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, a vigilante superhero film that put an interesting spin on the genre.

Instead of relying heavily on special effects and spectacle, it's a stripped-down character piece, prioritising plot and performance.

It's a genre film that deconstructs the superhero archetype, exploring themes of social injustice and political disillusionment with an approach that was not over the top.

Between 2018-2023, he was the co-creator of two critically acclaimed web-series, Sacred Games (1 and 2), and Jubilee.

While Sacred Games was a crime drama where the city of Mumbai itself became a character, Jubilee is a drama of the Bombay film industry in 1940s with characters grappling with ambition, love, and the changing tides of the nascent film industry.

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Both the web series further solidified his position as a leading voice in the contemporary storytelling landscape, who is constantly pushing the boundaries of narrative and challenging conventional formats.

In between he also directed two feature films, AK vs AK (2020) and CTRL (2024), where the former is a hostage drama laced with meta-jokes that subtly comment on the blurring lines between reality and performance in the age of celebrity, whereas the latter casts light on the perils of excessive social media affiliation, revealing how the illusion of a perfect life can also come at the cost of a human life.

These two films were released on Netflix and the streaming platform provided him with the freedom and flexibility to explore unconventional ideas without the constraints of traditional theatrical releases and explore more daring and experimental narratives.

His recent web series, Black Warrant, currently streaming on Netflix, and co-created with Satyanshu Singh is a prison drama unfolding from the perspective of a newly recruited jailer who observes how the intricate web of power, corruption, and violence within the prison walls slowly unravels before his eyes.

With this Vikramaditya Motwane further confirmed that he has a gifted ability to blend gripping storytelling with a dark and atmospheric tone.

With each of his body of work, he has consistently proven himself to be a visionary artist who seamlessly blends artistic ambition with commercial appeal.

He is a filmmaker who is not afraid to take risks, explore uncharted territories, and deliver unconventional stories that challenge conventions, and we can't wait to see what cinematic marvels he will unveil next.

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