Vijay Kumar Arora, also known as Daddu, is an Indian filmmaker and cinematographer who predominantly works in the Hindi and Punjabi film industries. As a cinematographer, he is known for his collaborations with Mahesh Manjrekar, Anubhav Sinha, and Remo D'Souza.
For his work as a filmmaker, he was awarded the 66th National Film Award for Best Punjabi Feature Film for Harjeeta. His other directorial Punjabi film, Guddiyan Patole, earned him a nomination for Best Director at the PTC Punjabi Film Awards in 2020. The film went on to win the Jury's Choice Award for Best Film at the 10th PTC Punjabi Film Awards in 2020.
Early life and career Arora began his career in the late 1990s and worked as a cinematographer on Hindi films such as Vaastav: The Reality (1999), Kurukshetra (2000), Tum Bin (2001), Pyaar Kiya Nahin Jaata (2003), Dhamaal (2007), and ABCD (2013). His later cinematographic work includes Any Body Can Dance 2 (2015), A Flying Jatt (2016), and Street Dancer 3D (2020). He also worked on television projects, including Hasratein, Sea Hawks, Hum Bombay Nahi Jayenge, and Shikast.
In the early 2010s, Arora made his directorial debut with the Punjabi film Ronde Sare Vyah Picho (2013), starring Neeru Bajwa. He went on to direct films such as Harjeeta (2018), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi, Guddiyan Patole (2019), Kali Jotta (2023), and Godday Godday Chaa (2023).
Arora has also directed music videos for artists such as Gippy Grewal, Mika Singh, B Praak, Raftaar, and Badshah, in collaboration with T-Series, and for Sonu Nigam's album Deewana.
Filmography As cinematographer Year Film Language Notes 1995 Aai Marathi Debut 1999 Vaastav: The Reality Hindi 2000 Jungle Nidaan Astitva MarathiHindi Kurukshetra Hindi 2001 Tum Bin Tera Mera Saath Rahen Ehsaas: The Feeling 2002 Pitaah Hathyar 2003 Pyaar Kiya Nahin Jaata Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai 2004 Rakht 2005 Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav Dus It Was Raining That Night Viruddh Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! 2006 Naksha 2007 Deha Dhamaal 2008 Love Story 2050 2009 Do Knot Disturb 2011 F.A.L.T.U 2013 ABCD: Anybody Can Dance 2014 Action Jackson 2015 ABCD 2 2016 A Flying Jatt 2018 Nawabzaade Mohalla Assi 2020 Street Dancer 3D 2025 Be Happy
As director Ronde Sare Vyah Picho (2013) Harjeeta (2018) Guddiyan Patole (2019) Kali Jotta (2023) Godday Godday Chaa (2023) Son of Sardaar 2 (2025)
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Film Result Ref.2018National Film AwardsBest Punjabi Feature filmHarjeeta 2018PTC Punjabi Film AwardsBest DirectorHarjeeta2019PTC Punjabi Film AwardsBest Director Guddiyan Patole2025National Film AwardsBest Punjabi Feature filmGodday Godday Chaa
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