Danish Aslam is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi film, television and streaming productions. After working as an assistant director on films including Lakshya, Swades, Salaam Namaste, Fanaa, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, he made his feature-film directing debut with the romantic comedy-drama Break Ke Baad (2010).
Aslam subsequently directed television and streaming series including It's Not That Simple, Time Out, Flesh, The Reunion – Chal Chalein Apne Ghar and an episode of the Netflix anthology Feels Like Ishq. His second feature film, Khwaabon Ka Jhamela, was released in 2024.
Early life and education Danish lived in Bangladesh and Delhi while growing up. He attended The Mother's International School in New Delhi, studied English at Sri Venkateswara College, and completed a master's degree in mass communication at Jamia Millia Islamia.
Career Early work and Break Ke Baad Before becoming a director, Danish worked as an assistant director on films including Lakshya, Swades, Salaam Namaste, Being Cyrus, Fanaa, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. He initially intended to become a cinematographer before moving into direction.
Danish made his directorial debut with Break Ke Baad (2010), produced by Kunal Kohli. The project originated with an idea by Ankur Tewari. Danish developed a story draft and subsequently worked on the script with Renuka Kunzru, who wrote the screenplay and dialogue. Aniruddha Guha of DNA described the film as a "rom-com that gets it right". Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times praised its modern relationships but criticised the later screenplay.
Television and streaming Between 2013 and 2015, Danish directed several television shows for various networks.
Yeh Hai Aashiqui (2013–2014): A romantic drama series for Bindass channel Love by Chance (2014): A series for Bindass channel Siyaasat (2014–2015): A historical drama series for Epic channel Kabhi Aise Geet Gaya Karo (2015): A mini-series for Disney channel
Danish entered streaming in 2016 with It's Not That Simple, a Voot series starring Swara Bhasker, and returned to direct its second season in 2018. His move came during an early expansion of India's streaming market: Netflix launched in India in January 2016 and Amazon Prime Video arrived later that year, while Voot launched in March. Reviewing the second season, The New Indian Express praised its "sharp writing and plotting curves" and the maturity of the performances.
In 2017, Danish directed Time Out, a Voot series starring Tahir Raj Bhasin and Sarah-Jane Dias. It was included in GQ India and Firstpost lists of the best web series of 2017.
Danish's 2020 series Flesh, an eight-part crime drama about human trafficking for Eros Now, starred Bhasker and Akshay Oberoi. The darker thriller was a departure from his relationship-centred work; Danish has described dysfunctional relationships as a recurring interest in his writing and directing. Gautam Batra of Koimoi called the direction "superb" and praised the "gripping and tight" screenplay. Pramit Chatterjee of Mashable India described Danish as "masterful of his direction and tone".
In 2021, Danish directed The Reunion – Chal Chalein Apne Ghar for The Zoom Studios and co-wrote it with Shyni Shetty. The series follows an estranged family reuniting after the mother's death. Archika Khurana of The Times of India called it "a well-told story of a dysfunctional family", while noting its slow pace.
That year, Danish also directed "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not", an episode of the Netflix anthology Feels Like Ishq, starring Saba Azad and Sanjeeta Bhattacharya. Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint praised its treatment of the innocence and complications of a queer romance. Praveen Sudevan of The Hindu named it among the anthology's "stand-outs".
Music videos Danish directed the music video for the song "Baadshah" (2017), performed by Pratyul Joshi and released by T-Series. The video was shot in Mauritius and features actress Pallavi Sharda alongside Joshi.
Danish also directed the music video for "Jiya Laage Na" (2024), 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. The video features Parth Samthaan and Isha Malviya in a story of a newly married couple finding love in a joint family setting.
Return to feature films
Danish returned to feature films with Khwaabon Ka Jhamela, starring Prateik Babbar, Sayani Gupta and Kubbra Sait, released on JioCinema on 8 November 2024. Adapted from the Canadian film My Awkward Sexual Adventure, it was developed by producers Harman Baweja and Vicky Bahri. Danish worked on the screenplay with Arpita Chatterjee and wrote the dialogue. Troy Ribeiro of the Free Press Journal praised its visuals and performances, while finding that its whimsy sometimes outweighed its substance. Times Now also praised the performances. Archika Khurana of The Times of India found it engaging and praised its cast and visual appeal, while criticising its predictability and limited emotional depth.
Danish subsequently directed and co-produced Adhure Hum Adhure Tum, reuniting with Imran Khan, alongside Bhumi Pednekar and Gurfateh Pirzada. Principal photography took place in 2025, with additional filming in May 2026. In August 2026, Khan said that the film was in post-production and expected to be released on Netflix by the end of 2026.
Themes Relationships and changing social expectations recur in Aslam's work. Discussing the second season of It's Not That Simple, he said the series expanded beyond its central marriage to examine father–daughter relationships, young-adult couples, bisexual and lesbian characters, the MeToo movement and consent. His episode of Feels Like Ishq, centred on a queer romance, was described by The Hindu as one of the anthology's "stand-outs" and by The Quint as retaining "the innocence of a love story" while addressing the complications of an LGBTQ relationship.
Filmography
Films YearFilmRole2010Break Ke BaadDirector, story development2024Khwaabon Ka JhamelaDirector, co-screenwriter, dialogue writerUnreleasedAdhure Hum Adhure TumDirector, co-producer; in post-production as of August 2026
Television and web series YearTitleRole2013–2014Yeh Hai AashiquiDirector2014Love By ChanceDirector2014–2015SiyaasatDirector2015Kabhi Aise Geet Gaya KaroDirector2016, 2018It's Not That SimpleDirector, writer2017Time OutDirector, writer2020FleshDirector, dialogue writer2021The Reunion – Chal Chalein Apne GharDirector, writer2021Feels Like IshqDirector, writer
Music videos YearSong titleArtistProduction company2017BaadshahPratyul JoshiT-Series2024Jiya Laage NaMohit Chauhan & Shilpa RaoUniversal Music India
Acting YearProjectRoleNotes2023KaalaIB officer Himanshu Desai2008Thoda Pyaar Thoda MagicYoung Ranbir's TeacherMinor role2007ExitzRavina's brotherMinor role2005Salaam NamasteShopkeeperMinor role
Assistant director Year Film 2004 Lakshya 2004 Swades 2005 Salaam Namaste 2006 Being Cyrus 2006 Fanaa 2007 Ta Ra Rum Pum 2008 Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
References
External links