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Nisha Ganatra

Nisha Ganatra

Director, producer and writer, also actor · Born June 25, 1974 (52) · Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Primetime Emmy nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Nisha Ganatra (born June 25, 1974) is a Canadian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actress of Indian ancestry. She is best known for directing the films Late Night (2019) and Freakier Friday (2025). She began her career directing the films Chutney Popcorn (1999) and Cosmopolitan (2003), and was a consulting producer on, and directed three episodes of, the first season of the TV series Transparent. Ganatra graduated from the New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts where she studied with Martin Scorcese and Spike Lee. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nisha Ganatra, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 25, 1974 (52)
From
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Works as
Director, producer and writer, also actor
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 22% in 30 days

What are Nisha Ganatra's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
47%
Bonds
39%
Society
9%
Power
2%
Morality
1%
Survival
1%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 9 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
8
Hopeful
8
Joyful
5
Absurd
4
Tense
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Feel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Nisha Ganatra's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nisha Ganatra's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

40 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Freakier Friday(2025)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Deli Boys(2025)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • Clean Slate(2025)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Welcome to Chippendales(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • And Just Like That...(2021)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows

  • #WombStories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director

  • The High Note(2020)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Dollface(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Late Night(2019)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Black Monday(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Future Man(2017)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Dear White People(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • Great News(2017)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Better Things(2016)

    Show 9 episodes · Director · Co-Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Center Stage: On Pointe(2016)

    Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Robot(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Last Man on Earth(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Transparent(2014)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Consulting Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Red Oaks(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • FUTURESTATES: Code Academy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer

  • Pete's Christmas(2013)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Hunters(2013)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Mindy Project(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Shameless(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent(2011)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Haven(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Will You Merry Me?(2008)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Cheetah Girls: One World(2008)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Bam Bam and Celeste(2005)

    as Linda

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Cake(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Fast Food High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Cosmopolitan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Bliss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Chutney Popcorn(1999)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Reena

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Acting Class (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Exotic Dancer

  • Fairy Tale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Cinematographer

  • Junky Punky Girlz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Unaccustomed Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Creator · Executive Producer

  • Untitled Boy Band Pic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles, 36 of them dated from 1998 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Freakier Friday (2025)

$153M worldwide

Highest rated

The High Note (2020)

Midcredits 66th

Most popular right now

The Last Man on Earth (2015)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 39: 2 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting34 of 39: 26 only directing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdWriting5 of 39: 1 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing7 of 39: 0 only producing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stCinematography1 of 39: 1 only cinematography, 0 with another roleEditing1 of 39: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 39: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

39 titles, 9 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s9 · 3 acting · 7 crew2010s19 · crew2020s7 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

1 major award from 3 major nominations, 2015–2021.

WinNomination
  1. 2021
    • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials
  2. 2016
    • Producers Guild Award, won · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
  3. 2015
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Nisha Ganatra's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 43rd percentile, the median of all 12; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic4
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · director

Dear White People (2017)

94th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Mr. Robot (2015)

Midcredits 97th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 54/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Nisha Ganatra's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles10–56 · median 11 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles21–40 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 39 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 34 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 13 · minimalMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Nisha Ganatra work with?

People who share at least 2 of Nisha Ganatra's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Oz Rodriguez shares the most, 2.

Directors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers