Ayan Mukerji

Mukherji started his career as an assistant to Ashutosh Gowariker, his brother-in-law, on the 2004 film, Swades, and later to Johar on Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. After taking a short break from filmmaking, Mukerji wrote the screenplay for Wake Up Sid and gave it to Johar who decided it should become a film. The film starred Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor in lead roles and went on to become a commercial and critical success.

Ayan Mukerji (born 15 August 1983) is an Indian film director from the cinema prominent Sashadhar Mukherjee family. Mukerji made his directorial debut at the age of 26 with the coming-of-age comedy Wake Up Sid (2009), produced by Karan Johar. The film opened to strong reviews and box office returns. His next release, the 2013 romantic comedy, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, ranks among the Highest-grossing Hindi films of that year. He is often referred to as Ranbir Kapoor's best friend and he also stated in an interview that Kapoor has become "something of a muse" to him.

Mukerji was born in a Bengali Brahmin family in Kolkata, India, the son of Bengali film actor Deb Mukherjee. His family was steeped in the Indian film industry since the 1930, when his grandfather, Sashadhar Mukherjee, first ventured by chance into the field. Sashadhar Mukherje was a pioneering film producer who was one of the founding partners of Filmistan Studio in Mumbai, and produced films like Dil Deke Dekho (1959), Love in Simla (1960), Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) and Leader (1964). The studio is still run by Ayan's extended family.