N. Chandra

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title: "N. Chandra" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1952-births", "living-people", "hindi-language-film-directors", "film-directors-from-mumbai", "indian-male-screenwriters", "hindi-film-producers", "film-producers-from-mumbai", "hindi-language-screenwriters", "hindi-language-indian-writers", "20th-century-indian-dramatists-and-playwrights", "21st-century-indian-dramatists-and-playwrights", "people-from-bandra", "screenwriters-from-maharashtra", "20th-century-indian-male-writers", "21st-century-indian-male-writers"] description: "Indian producer, writer, and director" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Chandra" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Indian producer, writer, and director ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	N. Chandra
birth_name	Chandrashekhar Narvekar
birth_date
death_date
nationality	Indian
occupation	Film director, producer, screenwriter, editor
notable_works	{{flatlist
::

| name = N. Chandra | image = | caption = | birth_name = Chandrashekhar Narvekar | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | nationality = Indian | other_names = | occupation = Film director, producer, screenwriter, editor | years_active = | notable_works = {{flatlist|

• Ankush
• Pratighaat
• Tezaab
• Narsimha

Chandrashekhar Narvekar (born 4 April 1952) is an Indian director, producer and writer, known for gritty realism, in his early dark and loud films. His most successful commercial films are Ankush (1986), Pratighaat (1987), Tezaab (1988) and Narsimha (1991).

Chandra also made moderately successful but critically scorned Humlaa, Style and its sequel Xcuse Me.

Early life

He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Chandra grew up in a middle-class neighbourhood in Worli Naka.

Career

Breakthrough

After his schooling, he started his career as a film editor at Film Centre in Tardeo, Mumbai, where his father worked. He received his first break in the film industry, when in 1971, as a clapper boy in Gulzar's Parichay (1972). Gradually moving up as film editor and assistant director.

1986–1991: Success

Eventually, with Ankush, his directorial debut, in 1986, Chandra began his projection of the angry young man. Influenced by Gulzar's Mere Apne, he wrote, directed, produced and edited the film about four frustrated unemployed men who roam the streets of Bombay, which also starred Nana Patekar. Made at a budget of Rs 12 lakh, the film and grossed Rs 95 lakh to become surprise hit of 1986, the year when many blockbusters failed.

The following year he remade Telugu film, Pratighatana (1986) in Hindi as Pratighaat (1987), starring Sujata Mehta and Nana Patekar, a film on the gruesome reality of politics in India. It also brought the strong mental make-up of the Indian woman to the thoughts of the Indian youth.

In 1988, he made Tezaab, the film that effectively launched Madhuri Dixit's career. It was the beginning of the Bollywood diva's long and relatively successful pairing with Anil Kapoor, and her mastery of dancing through the song Ek Do Teen. With Tezaab, N Chandra scored a box office hat-trick at his previous hits, Ankush (1986) and Pratighaat (1987).

In 1991, his successful streak continued with Narsimha, his fourth consecutive hit at the box-office. He wrote, produced and directed the film, which starred Sunny Deol, Dimple Kapadia and Urmila Matondkar.

1992–2009: Downturn

Unfortunately, his subsequent work could not replicate the success of his first four films. He directed 10 films between 1992 and 2009, none of which were successful.

Filmography

As a director:

::data[format=table]

Year	Film	Director	Producer	Editor	Writer	Lead cast	Ankush	Pratighaat	Tezaab	Narsimha	Humlaa	Yugandhar	Tejaswini	Beqabu	Wajood	Shikari	Style	Xcuse Me	Kagaar: Life on the Edge	Y.M.I : Yeh Mera India
1986					Madan Jain, Arjun Chakraborty, Nana Patekar, Nisha Singh, Suhas Palshikar
1987					Sujata Mehta, Charan Raj
1988					Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Chunky Pandey, Anupam Kher
1991					Sunny Deol, Dimple Kapadia, Urmila Matondkar, Om Puri
1992					Dharmendra, Anil Kapoor, Meenakshi Seshadri, Kimi Katkar
1993
1994
1996
1998					Madhuri Dixit, Nana Patekar, Mukul Dev
2000					Govinda, Tabu, Karisma Kapoor
2001
2003
				Om Puri, Nandita Das
2009
::

As an editor only:

::data[format=table]

Year	Film	Woh Saat Din	Dharm Aur Qanoon	Mohabbat	Mera Dharam
1983
1984
1985
1986
::

References

References

1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20030627225834/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/01/04/stories/2002010401090202.htm Style] Ziya us Salam for The Hindu, 2002-01-04., Retrieved on 2007-08-10
2. (2021-03-19). "Narsimha 1991 Movie Box Office Collection, Budget and Unknown facts". KS Box Office.
3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20030627225834/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/01/04/stories/2002010401090202.htm Style] Ziya us Salam for The Hindu, 2002-01-04. Retrieved on 2007-08-10
4. Madhu Jain. (28 February 1989). "Mean street Moghul: Hit director N. Chandra brings realism to films". India Today.
5. Avijit Ghosh. (1 September 2014). "Director Bapu helped shape careers of Mithun, Anil Kapoor". The Times of India.
6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20040101090803/http://www.hindu.com/2000/11/24/stories/09240222.htm The highs and lows - a recollection] [[Bhawana Somaaya]] for The Hindu, 2000-11-24. Retrieved on 2007-08-10
7. [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2007/06/29/stories/2007062950120400.htm Bollywood’s evergreen diva] Shubhra Gupta for The Hindu Business Line, 2007-06-29. Retrieved on 2007-08-10

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