Neeraj Ghaywan Height, Age, Caste, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Other Name	Neeraj Kumar
Name Earned	The Masaan-man
Profession(s)	• Writer • Director
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	Short Film: Independence (2010) Film: Masaan (2015)
Awards, Honours	2014 • Sundance Institute/Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award for the film 'Masaan' at the Sundance Film Festival 2015 • FIPRESCI Prize and Un Certain Regard Special Prize for 'Masaan' at the 68th Cannes Film Festival 2016 • Best Debut Director award for 'Masaan' at the 61st Filmfare Awards • Best Debut Film of a Director award for 'Masaan' at the 63rd National Film Awards • Best Debut Director award for 'Masaan' at the Producers Guild Film Awards • Critics Choice Award - Best Debut Director for 'Masaan' at Zee Cine Awards • Honorable Mention, Feature Film for the films 'Masaan' and 'Aligarh' at the 14th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) • Best Director award and Best Feature Film Trophy for 'Masaan' at the SAARC Film Festival • LICHTER International Feature Award for 'Masaan' at the Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International • Best Debut Director award for 'Masaan' at the 1st FOI Online Awards 2018 • Best Short Film - Fiction award for 'Juice' at the 63rd Filmfare Awards 2022 • Best Direction in a Digital Film award for 'Ajeeb Daastaans' at the IWMBuzz Digital Awards • Outstanding Film - Streaming award for 'Geeli Pucchi' from Ajeeb Daastaans at the LIFHO Awards for Excellence in EDIA 2025 • Director of the Year award for 'Homebound' at the NDTV's Indian of the Year 2025 Awards 2026 • Best Film Writing (Story & Screenplay) award for 'Homebound' at Chetak Screen Awards • Best Direction and Best Writing - Adapted awards for 'Homebound' at the 11th FOI Online Awards • Special Jury Award - Best Film for 'Homebound' at the 4th Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards • Best Director - Feature Film award for 'Homebound' at the Critics’ Choice Awards, India • Recognition for 'Homebound' as one of the top five films of India at RPSG Lifestyle Media's The Honours
Personal Life
Date of Birth	20 April 1980 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2026)	46 Years
Birthplace	Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, (now Telangana), India
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Hyderabad, Telangana, India
School	Kendriya Vidyalaya SVP National Police Academy (NPA), Shivarampally, Hyderabad, Telangana
College/University	• Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT), Hyderabad, Telangana • Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune, Maharashtra
Educational Qualification(s)	• Electrical Engineering from CBIT (2002) • MBA in Marketing from SIBM (2006)
Caste	Dalit
Ethnicity	Marathi
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Hobbies	Travelling, Cooking
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • Twitter
Family
Parents	Father- (Research scientist) Mother- (Ran a garment store)
Siblings	Brother- None Sister(s)- 3 (elder) • Smita • Shaila

Some Lesser Known Facts About  Neeraj Ghaywan

• Neeraj Ghaywan was born to Maharashtrian parents and was raised in a middle-class family in Hyderabad, Telangana.

• He lived in a small clay-roof house with his family as a child.

• Neeraj started his work as an engineer after finishing his formal education and worked in companies such as UTV New Media Limited, Hindustan Times, and Tech Mahindra.

• Neeraj later began feeling unsatisfied with his corporate job, after which he started writing film reviews for Passionforcinema.com.

• Neeraj is a Dalit. He kept his identity hidden for about 35 years out of fear and even used surname ‘Kumar’ instead of ‘Ghaywan’ to avoid being recognised. His oldest sister’s Buddhist wedding, however, later became a turning point that pushed him to start opening up.

• Neeraj was initially scared to attend his sister’s wedding as he feared his Dalit identity would be revealed.  The fear stayed with him throughout. But it also made him realise he couldn’t keep hiding and gradually  gave him the courage to be open about it.

• When his identity became public, it still took him three days to tell his domestic help. She and his driver accepted him without judgement, which gave him some confidence, though opening up still felt difficult.

• After this, he began reading and understanding more about his identity, which led him to become an Ambedkarite and accept himself more clearly. He also started using his real surname, ‘Ghaywan.’

• When he came out, it also affected his extended family, many of whom were hiding their identity too. Some supported him, while others found it hard to deal with it in their own lives.

• In 2010, Neeraj made his first short film ‘Independence,’ which was shortlisted in the competition section of the PFCOne online one-minute film festival.
  

  A still from Neeraj Ghaywan’s Facebook post about his first short film ‘Independence’ (2010)

• He then worked with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and assisted him on films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ (2012) and ‘Ugly’ (2013). Neeraj gradually developed a strong passion for cinema and came to see Kashyap as a mentor.

• In 2013, he wrote and directed the short film ‘The Epiphany.’
  

  A poster of the short film The Epiphany (2013)

• He has written and directed anthology films like ‘Shorts’ (2013) and ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ (2021).
  

  Neeraj Ghaywan’s Facebook post about ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ (2021)

• In 2017, he wrote and directed a short film titled ‘Juice,’ which was based on gender politics of middle class Indian households.
  

  Neeraj Ghaywan’s Facebook post about his short film ‘Juice’ (2017)

• In 2015, his first film ‘Masaan’ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and gained attention for its storytelling.

• In 2019, he directed a few episodes of Netflix’s crime thriller television series ‘Sacred Games 2.’
  

  Neeraj Ghaywan’s Facebook post about the release of Sacred Games 2

• In 2020, Neeraj put some of his awards up for auction to help raise money for COVID-19 testing kits, after hearing about the initiative from comedian Kunal Kamra.
  

  Neeraj Ghaywan’s Facebook post announcing an auction of his awards, including TOIFA Best Debut Director for Masaan, Filmfare Best Film for Juice, and a signed Cannes jury prize copy

• In 2023, Neeraj directed the television series ‘Made In Heaven 2,’ which streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
  

  Neeraj Ghaywan’s Facebook post about working on Made In Heaven 2

• His work on ‘Made In Heaven 2’ was well received, though his choice to portray a big opulent Dalit weddingwas criticised by some who believed it was not real. He, however, later explained that the setting was a relection of a life of a successful and a rich woman.

• It was almost 10 years until he made his second film as he was very much attached to his work and needed time to nurture it.

• The idea for the film ‘Homebound’ (2025) came based on the story by a journalist and script writer named Basharat Peer. Neeraj took three years for screenwriting, which brought in caste, class, gender, and personal life experiences.

• Many scenes in ‘Homebound’ were inspired by his real life, including childhood memories, friendships, and moments from his upbringing in Hyderabad. While talking about it in an interview, he said,
  

  In my childhood (in Hyderabad), I had a great friend called Askar, and his biryani would be the best, and one Eid when it didn’t come, I jumped over the terrace and starting gobbling it straight from the vessel, and when the family returned and saw me, I was so embarrassed. This is in the film.”

• Neeraj’s filmmaking focuses on showing the lives of marginalised people in a real and human way, not just as numbers.

• In 2025, ‘Homebound’ was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in the same section as his debut. It was the only Indian film officially selected that year and received a nine-minute standing ovation, leaving the audience emotional.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dharma Productions (@dharmamovies)

• After the success, ‘Homebound’ faced a legal dispute after author Puja Changoiwala accused makers of copying parts of her novel with the same title.

• ‘Homebound,’ which was a real-life story, also faced claims that only Rs. 10,000 was paid to the family whose story inspired the film. Neeraj, however, later clarified that this was just a small token and not the full compensation.

• Neeraj is an avid animal lover and has two pet cats named Bela and Fellini.
  

  Neeraj Ghaywan’s Instagram post about his pet cats