Danish Aslam

Danish Aslam is a filmmaker based in Mumbai, India, with a career spanning over two decades. He has worked in various mediums, including films, web series, music videos and television.^[2]

Danish Aslam
Danish Aslam during the shoot of 'Khwaabon Ka Jhamela' in London, UK.
Born	24th June, 1979 Hyderabad, India
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	The Mother's International School, New Delhi, Sri Venkateswara College and Jamia Millia Islamia
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Shruti Seth ​ (m. 2010)​ [1]
Children	1

Career

Before making his directorial debut, Danish worked as an assistant on several notable Bollywood films, including "Fanaa," "Ta Ra Rum Pum," "Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic," "Being Cyrus," "Salaam Namaste," "Lakshya," and "Swades".

Directorial Debut

Danish made his directorial debut with the 2010 film "Break Ke Baad," a comedy-drama starring Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan.^[3] The film received mixed reviews but was praised as "a 'rom-com' that gets it right" ^[4] and for "its surprisingly modern depiction of young adult relationships"^[5]

Danish rehearsing with actors Imran Khan & Deepika Padukone during the shoot of 'Break Ke Baad' in Mauritius.

Television and Web Series

Between 2013-15, Danish directed several television shows for various networks.

• "Yeh Hai Aashiqui" (2013-2014): A romantic drama series for Bindass channel^[6]
• "Love by Chance" (2014): A series for Bindass channel^[7]
• "Siyaasat" (2014-2015): A historical drama series for Epic channel
• "Kabhi Aise Geet Gaya Karo^[8]" (2015): A mini-series for Disney channel

Danish began working on web series in 2016 with "It's Not That Simple," marking his entry into the digital space at a time when the medium was still relatively new in India.^[9] Danish directed two seasons of this show,^[10] which was critically acclaimed for its "sharp writing and plotting curves, not to mention a certain maturity in the level of some of the performances".^[11]

Since then, he has directed and co-written several critically acclaimed web series:

• "Time Out" (2017): A Voot original series starring Tahir Raj Bhasin and Sarah Jane Dias.^[12] The show made the GQ India list of 'Best Indian Web Series of 2017' ^[13] and the Firstpost list of 'Best Web Series of 2017'.^[14]
• "Flesh" (2020): A critically acclaimed series for Eros Now, starring Swara Bhasker and Akshay Oberoi.^[15] It was praised for a "gripping and tight" screenplay^[16] while Danish was commended for being "masterful of his direction and tone".^[17]
• "The Reunion - Chal Chalein Apne Ghar" (2021): A Zoom Studios production featuring Veer Rajwant Singh, Kashmira Irani, and KK Raina,^[18] that was described as "a well-told story of a dysfunctional family".^[19]
• "Feels Like Ishq" (2021): Danish directed an episode of this Netflix anthology series, which starred Saba Azad.^[20] Critics described his episode as one of the "stand-outs among the lot"^[21] and having the "innocence of a love story while also dealing with the complications that come with a LGBTQI+ romance".^[22]

Music Videos

Danish directed the music video for the song "Baadshah" (2017), performed by Pratyul Joshi and released by T-Series.^[23] The video was shot in Mauritius and features actress Pallavi Sharda alongside Joshi.^[24]

Danish also directed the music video for "Jiya Laage Na" (2024),^[25] a romantic single sung by Mohit Chauhan and Shilpa Rao, with music by Rochak Kohli, released by Universal Music India Pvt. Ltd. under their VYRL Originals label.^[26] The video features Parth Samthaan and Isha Malviya in a simple yet heartwarming story of a newly married couple finding love in a joint family setting.^[27]

Recent Work

Danish talking to actors Prateik Babbar & Sayani Gupta during the shoot of Khwaabon Ka Jhamela in Southampton, UK

Danish's most recent film, "Khwaabon Ka Jhamela," starring Prateik Babbar, Sayani Gupta, and Kubbra Sait, was released on JioCinema in 2024.^[28] It has received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its visual appeal,^[29] performances^[30] and its refreshing take on modern relationships.^[31]

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Role
2010	Break Ke Baad	Director, Writer
2024	Khwaabon Ka Jhamela	Director, Writer

Web Series and Television

Year	Title	Role	Platform
2013-2014	Yeh Hai Aashiqui	Director	Bindass
2014	Love By Chance	Director	Bindass
2014-2015	Siyaasat	Director	Epic
2015	Kabhi Aise Geet Gaya Karo	Director	Disney
2016	It's Not That Simple	Director, Writer	Voot
2017	Time Out	Director, Writer	Voot
2020	Flesh	Director, Dialogue Writer	Eros Now
2021	The Reunion - Chal Chalein Apne Ghar	Director, Writer	Zoom Studios
2021	Feels Like Ishq	Director, Writer	Netflix

Music Videos

Year	Song Title	Artist	Production Company
2017	Baadshah	Pratyul Joshi	T-Series
2024	Jiya Laage Na	Mohit Chauhan & Shilpa Rao	Universal Music India

Acting

Year	Project	Role	Notes
2023	Kaala	IB officer Himanshu Desai	Web series directed by Bejoy Nambiar
2008	Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic	Young Ranbir's Teacher	Minor role
2007	Exitz	Ravina's brother	Minor role
2005	Salaam Namaste	Shopkeeper	Minor role

Future Projects

As of November 2024, Danish has confirmed that he is working on a new project with actor Imran Khan, with whom he previously collaborated on "Break Ke Baad".^[32] While details are yet to be officially announced, Danish has stated that the project is still a work-in-progress.^[33]