We have said it before, and we will say it again - although a film may initially draw audiences because of the star cast, and the names of on-screen talents, it is the director who ensures that the film is made so well that audiences keep on coming and buying tickets to watch the film. It is the director who ensures that a film, crosses the 200 or 300 Crore mark.

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There are a few director siblings who are responsible for some of the most iconic films we have in Bollywood today. Now, when we say iconic, it is not necessarily in a good way. There are a few filmmakers, who have given us movies, that are âiconicallyâ bad, as in we donât really know how on earth were they approved. But they are few and far between.

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The more pertinent point here is that there are a few great director sibling pairs, who have actually given us a few great films. This begs the question, is there a gene for storytelling that runs in their families? We think that probably, there is.

1. Abbas & Mustan Burmawalla

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Of course, we have to start with the most iconic pair of sibling directors, Abbas & Mustan. Now, we agree that their films arenât as pathbreaking or critically acclaimed. However, if you look at their filmography, youâll see that the duo has done a lot for Indian cinema in terms of storytelling, and action films as a genre. Some of their films include titles like the Race trilogy, Khiladi, and Baazigar among a plethora of others.

2. Zoya & Farhan Akhtar

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Do we really need to spell out why this particular pair of sibling directors are on this list? Zoyaâs filmography does not need any words, it is just fantastic. Clearly, she is one of the most talented directors we have today. As for Farhan, he single-handedly changed the course of Bollywood movies with Dil Chahta Hai & Lakshya. We genuinely wish we could see Farhan in the directorâs chair, more often.

3. Anurag & Abhinav Kashyap

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Keeping aside oneâs political inclinations, there is really point in arguing over the fact that at one point in time, Anurag Kashyap was the face of parallel cinema in India. Anurag really pushed the envelope when it comes to Indian Cinema, and the kind of stories that we could tell on celluloid. Gangs Of Wasseypur, Paanch, Black Friday, Gulaal, Raman Raghav 2.0 - all these are films that practically lived on our tongues. 

Abhinav Kashyap on the other hand, reimagined the âCop Filmâ as a genre, with Dabanng. Sadly though, his next and final directorial venture, Besharam was a disaster. However, if we see the scripts that he has written since then, weâre pretty sure that he will do well when he finally gets to sit in the directorâs chair.

4. Farah Khan Kunder & Sajid Khan

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Okay, this is a bit of a conundrum. Farah Khan as a director has sort of perfected the formula of a masala family entertainer, which, in spite of being a little over the top, were genuinely liked by the audience. She is iconic in that sense.

Sajid Khan, on the other hand, has mastered how to make a senseless comedy that you cannot watch with any intelligence. We seriously donât know how or why is this the case, but Sajid Khan, at the end of the day, is also a âdirector,â in an iconic way - how not to be one.

5. Sanjay Leela Bhansali - Bela Bhansali Sehgal

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Bet you didnât see this coming, did you? Sanjay Leela Bhansali is well, Sanjay Leela Bhansali - a filmmaker who has shown how to make one magnum opus after the other. Whether you like his films or not, you cannot deny that he knows how to set up a scene, and how to make some of the most visually stunning films that just makes us gasp.

His sister, Bela Sehgal, is also a director. Her directorial debut, Shirin Farhad Ki To Nikal Padi was actually a great rom-com film, which had a poignant story. Unfortunately, it did not do well at the box office, and that was that. 

6. Rohit & Hriday Shetty

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Yup, Bollywoodâs most commercially successful director, has a sibling whoâs also a director. While Rohit Shetty is known for films that are full-on masala entertainers that somehow always make well over 100-150 Crores. Hridayâs filmography is rather different. They arenât exactly parallel cinema, and neither are they mainstream films - theyâre a hybrid of some sort. His filmography has titles like Chaalis Chauraasi, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Kay Kay Menon and Ravi Kishan, Pyaar Mein Twist starring Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, among a few others.

7. Yash Raj Chopra & Baldev Raj Chopra

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If there is one pair of sibling directors who have shaped Indian Cinema as we know it today, it has to be Yash Raj Chopra & Baldev Raj Chopra, or BR Chopra as he is popularly known. Between the two of them, the films they have directed can quintessentially be defined as Indian cinema. If you look at their respective filmographies, youâll see names that have not only shaped Bollywood, but also how they have defined how we consume visual entertainment. 

8. Imtiaz, Sajid, & Arif Ali

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There was a time when Imtiaz Ali was considered the director to work with. He still is one of the best directors of the current crop. There is just something about his way of telling a story that just resonates with everyone. His brothers, Arif Ali & Sajid Ali have also been credited as directors. Arif is also an accomplished screenwriter and has worked on a number of notable projects.

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