In the second part of the series, we list the Best Directors in Bollywood based on ‘IMDb Ratings of Movies’. Internet Movie Database is the most visited movie website on internet, receiving millions of page views every day.
We have picked around 30 of the most popular directors in the industry and averaged the ratings of their LAST 5 films. Filmmakers who have directed less than 3 movies were not considered.
If we have missed out on a popular Bollywood director, please post a request for inclusion in the comments section below.
Let’s get straight down to the list then. No prizes for guessing the name of the directors who take the last and top spot. Plenty of surprises in between. Read on..
40. Sajid Khan
- Humshakals – 1.9
- Himmatwala – 1.8
- Housefull 2 – 5.1
- Housefull – 4.9
- Heyy Babyy – 5.7 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 3.88 (Worst)
39. Anubhav Sinha
- Zid – 4.2
- Ra One – 4.8
- Cash – 3.4
- Tathastu – 4.6
- Dus – 5.5 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 4.5 (Poor)
38. Ram Gopal Varma
- Satya 2 – 5.9
- The Attacks of 26/11 – 6.6 (best rated film)
- Bhoot Returns – 2.6
- Department – 3.2
- Not A Love Story – 4.9
- Average per film 4.64 (Poor)
37. Anees Bazmee
- Ready – 4.7
- Thank You – 4.5
- No Problem – 3.9
- Singh Is Kinng – 5.3 (best rated film, has received more votes than Sandwich)
- Sandwich – 5.3
- Average per film - 4.74 (Poor)
36. Prabhu Deva
- Action Jackson – 3.3
- R… Rajkumar – 5.1
- Ramaiya Vastavaiya – 5.6
- Rowdy Rathore – 5.7
- Wanted – 6.7 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 5.28 (Average)
35. Abbas-Mustan
- Race 2 – 5.3
- Players – 4.0
- Race – 6.6 (best rated film)
- Naqaab – 5.3
- 36 China Town – 5.5
- Average per film 5.34 (Average)
34. Farah Khan
- Happy New Year – 5.6
- Tees Maar Khan – 2.4
- Om Shanti Om – 6.6
- Main Hoon Na – 7.0 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 5.4 (Average)
33. Sanjay Gupta
- Shootout at Wadala – 5.8
- Dus Kahaniyaan – 5.7
- Zinda – 4.9
- Musafir – 5.4
- Kaante – 6.5 (best rated film)
- Average per film 5.66 (Average)
32. Rohit Shetty
- Singham Returns – 5.8
- Chennai Express – 6.0
- Bol Bachchan – 5.5
- Singham – 6.7 (best rated film)
- Golmaal 3 – 5.2
- Average per film 5.84 (Average)
31. Sujoy Ghosh
- Kahaani – 8.3
- Aladin – 4.6
- Home Delivery – 3.4
- Jhankaar Beats – 7.3
- Average per film – 5.9 (Average)
30. Nikhil Advani
- D-Day – 7.2
- Patiala House – 5.6
- Chandni Chowk To China – 3.8
- Salaam-e-Ishq – 5.2
- Kal Ho Na Ho – 8.1
- Average per film – 5.98 (Good)
29. Madhur Bhandarkar
- Heroine – 5
- Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji – 5.7
- Jail – 6.2
- Fashion – 6.9 (best rated film)
- Traffic Signal – 6.6
- Average per film 6.08 (Good)
28. Mohit Suri
- Hamari Adhuri Kahaani – 6.8
- Ek Villain – 6.4
- Aashiqui 2 – 7.1 (best rated film)
- Murder 2 – 6.0
- Crook: It’s Good to Be Bad – 4.9
- Average per film 6.24 (Good)
27. Maneesh Sharma
- Shuddh Desi Romance – 5.8
- Ladies vs Ricky Bahl – 6.0
- Band Baaja Baarat – 7.4 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 6.4 (Good)
26. Rakesh Roshan
- Krrish 3 – 5.5
- Krrish – 6.3
- Koi… Mil Gaya – 7.1 (best rated film)
- Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai – 6.9
- Koyla – 6.2
- Average per film 6.4 (Good)
25. Sooraj Barjatya
- Vivah – 6.8
- Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon – 4.0
- Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United – 6.1
- Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! – 7.6 (best rated film, has received more votes than Maine Pyar Kiya)
- Maine Pyar Kiya – 7.6
- Average per film 6.42 (Good)
24. Anurag Basu
- Barfi! – 8.2 (best rated film)
- Kites – 6.0
- Life in a Metro – 7.4
- Gangster – 7.1
- Tumsa Nahin Dekha – 4.5
- Average per film 6.64 (Very Good)
23. Aanand. L. Rai
- Tanu Weds Manu Returns – 8.2 (best rated film)
- Raanjhanaa – 7.6
- Tanu Weds Manu – 6.5
- Thodi Life Thoda Magic – 4.3
- Average per film 6.65 (Very good)
22. Prakash Jha
- Satyagraha – 6.0
- Chakravyuh – 6.9
- Aarakshan – 6.2
- Raajneeti – 7.1
- Apaharan – 7.4 (best rated film)
- Average per film 6.72 (Very Good)
21. Kabir Khan
- Bajrangi Bhaijaan – 8.4 (best rated film)
- Ek Tha Tiger – 5.3
- New York – 6.7
- Kabul Express – 6.9
- Average per film 6.82 (Very Good)
20. Tigmanshu Dhulia
- Bullett Raja – 5.1
- Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns – 6.9
- Paan Singh Tomar – 8.3 (best rated film)
- Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster – 7.2
- Shagird – 6.9
- Average per film 6.88 (Very Good)
19. Karan Johar
- Student of the Year – 5.4
- My Name Is Khan – 8.0 (best rated film)
- Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna – 6.0
- Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham – 7.5
- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai – 7.9
- Average per film 6.96 (Excellent)
18. Ashutosh Gowariker (Director of Top 250 film)
- Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey – 6.0
- What’s Your Raashee? – 4.8
- Jodhaa Akbar – 7.6
- Swades – 8.3 (best rated film)
- Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India – 8.2 (included in IMDb Top 250)
- Average per film 6.98 (Excellent)
17. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
- Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela – 6.2
- Guzaarish – 7.5
- Saawariya – 5.4
- Black – 8.3 (best rated film)
- Devdas – 7.6
- Average per film 7 (Excellent)
16. R. Balki
- Shamitabh – 7.1
- Paa – 7.2 (best rated film)
- Cheeni Kum – 6.8
- Average per film 7.03 (Excellent)
15. Sriram Raghavan
- Badlapur – 7.6
- Agent Vinod – 5.1
- Johnny Gaddaar – 8.0 (best rated film)
- Ek Hasina Thi – 7.7
- Average per film – 7.1 (Excellent)
14. Rakesh Omprakash Mehra
- Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – 8.4
- Delhi-6 – 6.1
- Rang De Basanti – 8.4 (best rated film, has received more votes than Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)
- Aks – 5.6
- Average per film 7.13 (Excellent)
13. Vishal Bhardwaj
- Haider – 8.4 (best rated film)
- Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola – 5.8
- 7 Khoon Maaf – 6.2
- Kaminey – 7.5
- Blood Brothers – 7.9
- Average per film 7.16 (Excellent)
12. Mani Ratnam
- Raavan – 5.3
- Guru – 7.8
- Yuva – 7.5
- Dil Se – 7.8
- Bombay – 8.0 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 7.28 (Excellent)
11. Zoya Akhtar
- Dil Dhadakne Do – 6.9
- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara – 8.1 (best rated film)
- Luck by Chance – 7.1
- Average per film 7.37 (Excellent)
10. Anurag Kashyap
- Bombay Velvet – 5.9
- Ugly – 8.2
- Gangs of Wasseypur – 8.4 (best rated film)
- That Girl in Yellow Boots – 6.7
- Gulaal – 8.1
- Average per film 7.46 (Excellent)
9. Yash Chopra
- Jab Tak Hai Jaan – 6.9
- Veer-Zaara – 7.9
- Dil To Pagal Hai – 7.1
- Darr – 8.0 (best rated film)
- Lamhe – 7.4
- Average per film 7.46 (Excellent)
8. Aditya Chopra
- Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi – 7.1
- Mohabbatein – 7.1
- Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge – 8.3 (best rated film)
- Average per film 7.5 (Excellent)
7. Imtiaz Ali
- Highway – 7.6
- RockStar – 7.6
- Love Aaj Kal – 6.8
- Jab We Met – 8.0 (best rated film)
- Socha Na Tha – 7.7
- Average per film 7.54 (Excellent)
6. Farhan Akhtar
- Don 2 – 7.1
- Don – 7.2
- Lakshya – 7.9
- Dil Chahta Hai – 8.2 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 7.6 (Excellent)
5. Shoojit Sircar
- Piku – 7.8
- Madras Cafe – 7.8
- Vicky Donor – 7.8 (best rated film, most votes received)
- Yahaan – 7.4
- Average per film – 7.7 (Excellent)
4. Dibakar Banerjee
- Detective Byomkesh Bakshi – 7.9
- Shanghai – 7.3
- Love Sex Aur Dhokha – 7.2
- Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! – 7.9
- Khosla Ka Ghosla – 8.4 (best rated film)
- Average per film – 7.74 (Excellent)
3. Shimit Amin
- Rocket Singh – 7.5
- Chak De India – 8.4 (best rated film)
- Ab Tak Chappan – 8.0
- Average per film – 7.97 (Outstanding)
2. Neeraj Pandey
- Baby – 8.3
- Special 26 – 7.9
- A Wednesday – 8.4 (best rated film)
- Average per film 8.2 (Outstanding)
1. Rajkumar Hirani (Director of Top 250 film)
- PK – 8.4
- 3 Idiots – 8.5 (Best rated film of Hirani, Best rated Bollywood film, IMDb Top 250)
- Lage Raho Munna Bhai – 8.2
- Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. – 8.3
- Average per film 8.35 (Outstanding, Universal Acclaim, All films ranked above 8)
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u will see there are more srk films in list. his luck was good so he is superstar.neeraj pandey and akshay kumar are best
Neeraj pandey and hirani are unarguably the best directors of this decade or so followed by r balki and anurag kashayp
Raju Hirani best director in the country alongwith SS Rajamouli and Shankar.. #MassiveRespect..
Best at top without any doubt…!
We Salute you Sir
@ indicine
NO:23 (wrong calculation) rakesh omprakash mehra
correct it…
Correction guys. Divide rakesh omprakash mehras rating by 4. His avg come to 7.1. Pls change.
@indicine Rakesh om Prakash Mehra had a higher average you made a mistake and divided the total by 5 when you should’ve divided by 4 because he only made 4 films
@Ajay, Anmol and Farhan, you guys were QUICK! Corrected it, thanks.
Yash ji at 5….?
Zoya in top 10…? Thats a shocker
Indicine — Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s imdb ratings is 8.5. Correct it.
imdb rating doesnt matter at all …its my persnal view… bcoz at the end what matter is how much the profit earn by a film…for example andaaz apna apna and mera naam joker were flop movies but now they are cult classics but the point is both movies has lost their money…and now it doesnt matter how much these movies become famous but the bottom line is they have lost their money
Most acclaimed commercial director and actor duo of Bollywood : Raju-Aamir.
No one even comes close. 2 cults out of 2.
Hats off!
..aamir (no 1 in list) and rajkumar hirani(no 1 in list)..
Aamir-hirani rocks(biggest combo at box office and in quality)..
Aditya chopra and karan johar are overrated…rnbdj is a crap movie….mohabtein is avg movie…and ddlj overrated …..rom is an underrated director….i was speechless after wathing rdb and bmg…and neeraj pandey ..the king of thriller movies…
Here is ratings of SS Rajamouli films
Baahubali: The Beginning – 9.3
Eega – 8
Maryada Ramanna – 7.4
Magadheera – 7.7
Yamadonga – 7.4
Average – 7.96
And Shankar film
I – 7.8
Nanban – 7.7
Enthiran – 7.1
Sivaji – 7.4
Anniyan – 8.1
Average – 7.62
So.. Rajamouli would be ranked at No 3 after Pandey and Hirani…. Shankar would be fourth below Rajamouli..
All these directors make commercial films that also get critical acclaim. Amazing combination.
Neeraj Pandey is the best director..his films r so gripping nd edge of the seat..
Movies in this list that made it to top 250 of IMDb atleast once:
3 Idiots(Still there)
PK
Munna Bhai MBBS
Gangs of Wasseypur
Swades
Lagaan(Still there)
A Wednesday
Rang De Basanti
Raju Hirani has had 3 movies in Top 250
(1 still there) .
Ashutosh Gowariker has has 2 movies in Top 250 (1 still there).
Rakesh Omprakash Mehra: 1
Anurag Kashyap: 1
Neeraj Pandey: 1
Aamir Khan: 1 (Taare Zameen Par)
Kudos, directors!
Neeraj Pandey is better than Hirani as he has originally written scripts where as Hirani scripts always inspired from others writing…..
@indicine.. 3 Idiots should be Best Rated Bollywood film.. because Baahubali is at 9.3 :) Please correct it.
Milan Luthria
Shoojit Sircar – all movies rating above 7
Sudhir Mishra
@Dinesh, we will include those directors.
@Neeraj, corrected.
Prem ratan dhan payo directed by sooraj will get 7.5+
Besr director mohit suri , dibakar banerjee , kunal , milan lutharia for awarapan, jannat, shanghai , ouatim n tdp..
-Raj Kumar Hirani should definitely be in everyone’s top 5 of the best directors of all time.
I feel like all his movies have great atmosphere, viduals, tone.
-Neeraj Pandey: his two collaborations with Akki were brilliant and have been interesting. I feel he could break out.
-Yash Chopra (RIP). He was a gem. I like all his movies except JTHJ because it was a piece of shit.
-Anurag Kashyab is good director but his future is uncertain right now, but I believe there’s potential in him for another great film.
-Imtias Ali: he has made some great movies..expectations are high.
-Rohit Shetty: he definitely has a style and a sitting and people will question revisiting his movies but I find them so well made. He always does something interesting with a gender.
-Rakesh Roshan: although it seems like he has been attached with Hrithik forever. I still feel like he could collaborate other actors soon…he certainly made some great movies with his son n that is a huge achievement.
-Karan Johar: he let me down recently but I’m hoping he will go back to the intelligent and hilarious movies he used to make early his career.
@ indicine ..where is farhan akhtar..
thank you @indicine
also include
Dibakar Banerjee
@Ajay Rocks.. great analysis.. but what do you mean by Rohit Shetty “always does something interesting with a GENDER”?
Is that the secret behind Ajay’s conversion to superstar? :D
IMDb ratings have some shortcomings, it only shows the ratings given by netusers.In India mostly urban youngsters are using net, this is the reason why BV got 5.9 ratings more than SR(5.8) RR(5.7) Krishh3(5.5) BB(5.5) ETT(5.3) SIK(5.3) Ready(4.7).Ranbir has more urban fan following.
Interesting…
If you remove Mai Prem Ki Diwaani Hu from Sooraj Barjatya list then his average rating is 7 which is better than Ashutosh Gowariker,Karan Johar & SLB.
MPKDH is worst movie by him & only flop film under Rajshri Production Banner.
@indicine: You should have included Dibakar Banerjee (Khosla ka ghosla,LSD,Oye lucky lucky oye,Shanghai,Byomkesh bakshy), Shoojit Sircar (Vicky Donor,Madras Cafe,Piku),Shimit Amin(Ab tak 56,Chak De India,Rocket Singh)
I think you missed them,all 3 supremely talented filmmakers!!
@ indicine – best rated 250 imdb bollywood movie is aamir salman starrer andaaz apna apna 8.8 star.
@indicine: You can also include Maneesh Sharma (Band Baaja,Ladies vs Ricky bahl,Shudhh desi romance)
Where are Sajid and Farah Khan?? lol