Madhur Bhandarkar is an Indian film director, writer, and producer born on August 26, 1968. He made his directorial debut in 1999 with the film 'Trishakti' starring Arshad Warsi. The 2001 crime film 'Chandni Bar' earned him the National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues. Bhandarkar is also the recipient of the National Film Awards for the Best Feature Film and Best Director for the 2005 film 'Page 3' and the 2007 movie 'Traffic Signal', respectively. The 2008 drama film 'Fashion' got him the Filmfare Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Notably, in the majority of Bhandarkar's films, protagonists are females. He also emphasized gay representation in his movies such as 'Page 3', 'Traffic Signal', and 'Fashion'. He also received Padma Shri in 2016 from the Government of India. Bhandarkar was also nominated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a society member of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. He was also honored with the Bharat Gaurav Award at the United Nations (UN) hall in New York.