Laxman Utekar

Laxman Utekar is an Indian filmmaker and cinematographer known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. Utekar began his career as a cinematographer in Hindi cinema with English Vinglish (2012) and Dear Zindagi (2016). He made his directorial debut in 2014 with the Marathi film Tapaal.^[1] He went on to direct the Hindi romantic comedies Luka Chuppi (2019) and Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023), the comedy-drama Mimi (2021), and the historical action film Chhaava (2025).

Laxman Utekar
Utekar at IFFI 2013
Nationality	Indian
Occupations	Film director producer writer cinematographer
Years active	2007–present

Career

Utekar started his career as a director of photography in Hindi cinema in 2007 with Khanna & Iyer. He then went on to work on English Vinglish, Dear Zindagi, Hindi Medium and 102 Not Out. He made his directorial debut in 2014 with Marathi film Tapaal. He then directed Lalbaugchi Rani (2016), a slice of life drama about a mentally challenged girl who gets lost in Mumbai.

Utekar first Hindi film as director was the romantic comedy Luka Chuppi (2019) which starred Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon as a couple in a live in relationship and the chaos ensues when their traditional families assume them to be married to each other.^[2] The film received generally positive reviews and emerged as commercial success at the box office, with a total gross collection of ₹128.86 crore (US$15 million).^[3][4]

In 2021, Utekar directed and co-wrote with Rohan Shankar the drama Mimi. A remake of the Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! (2011). the film reunited him with Sanon, in the titular role of a young woman who opts to be a surrogate mother for a foreign couple. Following the non-existent theatrical releases due to COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released through the streaming services Netflix and JioCinema.^[5] The film received positive reviews from critics, with Renuka Vyahare of The Times of India nothing that "it picks a relevant topic and turns it into an engaging, empowering and compassionate tale on humanity and motherhood".^[6] Taran Adarsh wrote, “Mimi is a heartwarming saga, aimed at families and it will keep the audience thoroughly entertained.”^[7]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Year	Film	Director	Cinematographer	Language	Ref.
2007	Khanna & Iyer		Yes	Hindi	[8]
2009	Blue		Yes
2012	English Vinglish		Yes		[8]
2014	Tapaal	Yes	Yes	Marathi	[9]
2016	Dear Zindagi		Yes	Hindi	[8]
2016	Lalbaugchi Rani	Yes		Marathi	[10]
2017	Hindi Medium		Yes	Hindi	[8]
2018	102 Not Out		Yes		[8]
2019	Luka Chuppi	Yes			[8]
2021	Mimi	Yes			[11]
2023	Zara Hatke Zara Bachke	Yes			[12]
2024	Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya		Yes
2025	Chhaava	Yes			[13]