Abhijat Joshi (born 1 December 1969) is an Indian screenwriter, film director, producer and editor who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for collaboration with Vinod Chopra Productions and director Rajkumar Hirani, as the screenwriter for Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), 3 Idiots (2009), PK (2014) and Sanju (2018). He has been a professor of English at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, since 2003.Faculty Otterbein College.
Early life and education Joshi was born and brought up in Ahmedabad.
Career He studied at Shree Vidyanagar High School in Ahmedabad, where he took part in the annual competitions for Gujarati dramas in the school.
Apart from teaching, he was also involved in theatre activities. His younger brother Saumya Joshi was also professor and is now theatre personality. His father and mother also were professors. During 1992 Gujarat riots, he wrote a theatre production, "A Shaft of Sunlight", which was critically acclaimed; subsequently director Vidhu Vinod Chopra saw the play, which led to them working together in the films, Kareeb and Mission Kashmir. A UK based Tamasha Theatre Company in collaboration with Greenwich Repertory Company performed more than 300 Shows, later the play was also adapted in Gujarati as "Marmbhed".
Like his father Jayant Joshi, who is a Sane Guruji (noted Marathi social reformer Pandurang Sadashiv Sane) scholar, Abhijat was deeply influenced by Sane Guruji. His father drew his attention to the profound concept of dharma as Sane Guruji saw it. All these readings have helped him immensely in writing stories.
In 2015, he scripted Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Hollywood flick Broken Horses. As of 2016, he is working on two scripts, the third film of the Munnabhai series, and actor Sanjay Dutt's biopic.
Personal life He lives in central Ohio, where he teaches at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. He is married, and has one daughter. His younger brother, Saumya Joshi, is a playwright and screenwriter best known for the 2012 film OMG - Oh My God! and 102 Not Out, both of which were directed by Umesh Shukla.
In 2016, Joshi underwent brain surgery at the Mumbai's Hinduja Hospital, performed by neurosurgeon B. K. Misra.
Works A Shaft of Sunlight. Nick Hern Books. 2000. . (Hindi: Marmbhed)
Filmography Year Film Role(s) 2023 Dunki Co - writer2020ShikaraWriter 2018 Sanju Co-writer 2016 Wazir Writer, Co-editor 2015 Broken Horses Writer 2014 PK Writer 2012 Nanban Writer (Tamil) 2009 3 Idiots Writer 2007 Eklavya: The Royal Guard Writer, producer 2006 Lage Raho Munna Bhai Writer 2000 Mission Kashmir Writer 1998 Kareeb Writer
Awards Year Award Category Film2007 National Film Awards Best Screenplay Lage Raho Munna Bhai2007 Filmfare Awards Best StoryBest Dialogue2010 Best Story 3 IdiotsBest ScreenplayBest Dialogue2015 Best Screenplay PKBest Dialogue2007 Screen Awards Best Story Lage Raho Munna BhaiBest Dialogue2010 Best Screenplay 3 IdiotsBest Dialogue2015 PK2007 IIFA Awards Best Dialogue Lage Raho Munna Bhai2010 Best Story 3 IdiotsBest ScreenplayBest Dialogue2015 Best Dialogue PK2007 Zee Cine Awards Best Story Lage Raho Munna BhaiBest ScreenplayBest DialogueBollywood Movie Awards Best StoryBest DialogueGlobal Indian Film Awards Best StoryBest Dialogue2015Star Guild Awards Best DialoguePK
References
External links
How Gandhigiri found a place in Munnabhai (September 2006 interview) On Bollywood: An Interview With Abhijat Joshi (July 2004)