Vijay Kumar Arora

Vijay Kumar Arora, also known as Daddu, is an Indian filmmaker and cinematographer who predominantly works in the Hindi and Punjabi film industries. As a cinematographer, he is known for his collaborations with Mahesh Manjrekar, Anubhav Sinha, and Remo D'Souza.

Vijay Kumar Arora
Born	Amritsar, Punjab, India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Daddu
Occupation(s)	Film director and cinematographer
Years active	1990s–present

For his work as a filmmaker, he was awarded the 66th National Film Award for Best Punjabi Feature Film for Harjeeta.^[1][2] His other directorial Punjabi film, Guddiyan Patole, earned him a nomination for Best Director at the PTC Punjabi Film Awards in 2020.^[3] The film went on to win the Jury's Choice Award for Best Film at the 10th PTC Punjabi Film Awards in 2020.^[4]

Early life and career

Arora began his career in the late 1990s and worked as a cinematographer on Hindi films such as Vaastav: The Reality (1999), Kurukshetra (2000), Tum Bin (2001), Pyaar Kiya Nahin Jaata (2003), Dhamaal (2007), and ABCD (2013). His later cinematographic work includes Any Body Can Dance 2 (2015), A Flying Jatt (2016), and Street Dancer 3D (2020). He also worked on television projects, including Hasratein, Sea Hawks, Hum Bombay Nahi Jayenge, and Shikast.^[5]

In the early 2010s, Arora made his directorial debut with the Punjabi film Ronde Sare Vyah Picho (2013), starring Neeru Bajwa. He went on to direct films such as Harjeeta (2018), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi,^[6] Guddiyan Patole (2019), Kali Jotta (2023), and Godday Godday Chaa (2023).^[7][8]

Arora has also directed music videos for artists such as Gippy Grewal, Mika Singh, B Praak, Raftaar, and Badshah, in collaboration with T-Series, and for Sonu Nigam's album Deewana.^[5]

Filmography

As cinematographer

Year	Film	Language	Notes
1995	Aai	Marathi	Debut
1999	Vaastav: The Reality	Hindi
2000	Jungle
	Nidaan
	Astitva	Marathi Hindi
	Kurukshetra	Hindi
2001	Tum Bin
	Tera Mera Saath Rahen
	Ehsaas: The Feeling
2002	Pitaah
	Hathyar
2003	Pyaar Kiya Nahin Jaata
	Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai
2004	Rakht
2005	Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav
	Dus
	It Was Raining That Night
	Viruddh
	Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!
2006	Naksha
2007	Deha
	Dhamaal
2008	Love Story 2050
2009	Do Knot Disturb
2011	F.A.L.T.U
2013	ABCD: Anybody Can Dance
2014	Action Jackson
2015	ABCD 2
2016	A Flying Jatt
2018	Nawabzaade
	Mohalla Assi
2020	Street Dancer 3D
2025	Be Happy

As director

• Ronde Sare Vyah Picho (2013)
• Harjeeta (2018)
• Guddiyan Patole (2019)
• Kali Jotta (2023)
• Godday Godday Chaa (2023)
• Son of Sardaar 2 (2025)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Film	Result	Ref.
2018	National Film Awards	Best Punjabi Film	Harjeeta	Won	[1]
2018	PTC Punjabi Film Awards	Best Director	Harjeeta	Nominated	[6]
2019	PTC Punjabi Film Awards	Best Director	Guddiyan Patole	Nominated	[9]