Let's take a look at iconic director, Tigmanshu Dhulia's love story. Meet his wife, Tulika Dhulia, who ran away from her home to marry him but was initially rejected by Tigmanshu.
Tigmanshu Dhulia is, without a doubt, one of the best Indian filmmakers of this era. Whether we talk about his work as a filmmaker, writer, or producer, he has excelled in all the departments. Although, Tigmanshu kick-started his professional journey as a casting director for the films, Bandit Queen and Stiff Upper Lips. In the following years, he assisted Pradip Krishen in the film, Electric Moon and Ketan Mehta in the movie, Sardar. After that, he ventured into television, where he directed a series of TV shows that became a hit among viewers.
Some of Tigmanshu Dulia's hit television shows include the likes of Naya Daur, Hum Saath Saath Hain Kya?, Musafir, Bhoron Ne Khilaya Phool, Anekoe Hitlers, and many more. After creating a name for himself in the TV industry, Tigmanshu made his debut as a filmmaker in Indian cinema with the film, Haasil and created a stir in Hindi cinema. After his sensational debut in the film industry, Tigmanshu went on to direct a series of hit and cult films like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, Shagird, Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, and many more.
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Apart from direction and scriptwriting, Tigmanshu Dhulia also left his mark in acting with the role of 'Ramadhir Singh' in Anurag Kashyap's film, Gangs of Wasseypur. Courtesy of his excellence in almost every department, Tigmanshu has won a series of awards for his massive contribution to the Indian television and film industry.
For the uninitiated, Tigmanshu Dhulia is the man who stopped the late legendary actor, Irrfan Khan from quitting acting due to a lack of good roles. It was when the filmmaker convinced Irrfan that he would make him win the National Award. Tigmanshu said to him, "Arre Ruk Ja, National Award Le Ke Jana," and fulfilled his promise by making Paan Singh Tomar. Irrfan won the Best Actor award at the 60th National Award.
Despite being one of the best filmmakers and writers in the country, Tigmanshu Dhulia is among the few celebrities, who prefer to stay from the media limelight. The filmmaker is hardly spotted at Bollywood parties or award functions, which is one of the reasons why only a few people are aware of his filmy love story. For the uninitiated, Tigmanshu Dhulia is married to Tulika Dhulia, who is an ace costume designer in the film industry. She has worked as a designer in the films, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, Raag Desh, and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns.
Tigmanshu Dhulia and Tulika Dhulia welcomed a baby girl after some years of their wedding and gave her the name, Jansi. Although the couple initially selected the name, Shreyasi for their daughter, but they chose the name Jansi after listening to Dil Se's song, 'Ae Ajnabi'. There was a line in the film, "Wo jaan si kaha hain?" and the couple liked the phrase, 'Jaan si,' and trimmed it to the word, 'Jansi'. Tigmanshu's daughter, Jansi, is following in her father's footsteps, as she is studying filmmaking in Bengaluru.
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Tigmanshu Dhulia met his wife, Tulika Dhulia, back when they were in eighth grade at the same school. The childhood sweethearts used to exchange love letters and dated for almost nine years. However, Tigmanshu soon moved to Delhi to study at the National School of Drama, but they continued their relationship. When he was studying at NSD, Tulika's parents finalised her marriage, as they found a suitable match for their daughter. The engagement was finalised, but Tulika was truly in love with Tigmanshu, which was why she ran away from her home and went to NSD.
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When Tulika reached the National School of Drama and told Tigmanshu Dhulia that she had run away from her home to marry him, the youngster panicked and told her that she had done wrong. At that time, Tigmanshu was just a student and had 40 rupees in his pocket. However, after discussing with his friend, Sanjay Mishra, Tigmanshu decided to marry Tulika but didn't have a birth certificate to get married. Thus, the youngster went to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital at night to get his hip bone X-ray in order to get his birth certificate.
Tigmanshu Dhulia wasn't earning at the time of his marriage, but due to his connections with his seniors, he started assisting directors. It was not easy for Tigmanshu to get acceptance from Tulika's parents as they disliked the fact that they belonged to the film industry. However, with time, things settled down and got better as both families accepted Tigmanshu and Tulika's marriage.
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