Zeishan Quadri (ज़ैशान क़ादरी), also known as Syed Zeeshan Quadri, is an Indian screenwriter, actor, director, and producer born on 17 March 1983 in Wasseypur, Dhanbad (then Bihar, now Jharkhand). The youngest child of civil engineer Syed Imran Quadri, he grew up in an area infamous for its coal mafia and gang wars — experiences that would later fuel his most celebrated creative work. He completed his schooling at Doon Public School, Dhanbad, and graduated from Meerut University. He then worked for 18 months at HCL Computers' call centre in Delhi before moving to Mumbai to pursue his dream of filmmaking. In Mumbai he met director Anurag Kashyap and shared the story of Wasseypur's coal mafia, which formed the basis of the cult crime saga Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). Zeishan not only co-wrote the screenplay but also portrayed the memorable villain 'Definite Khan' in Part 2. The film's success earned him Filmfare, IIFA, and TOIFA Awards for Best Dialogue Writing in 2013. He went on to produce Prague (2013), direct and produce Meeruthiya Gangsters (2015), and act in Revolver Rani, Badlapur, Bloody Daddy (2023), and Woh Bhi Din The (2024). In 2025, he entered Bigg Boss 19 and was evicted in Week 7, finishing fifteenth overall.

Co-writing Gangs of Wasseypur Parts 1 & 2 (2012) with Anurag Kashyap and playing the character 'Definite Khan'; winning Filmfare, IIFA, and TOIFA Awards for Best Dialogue (2013); directing Meeruthiya Gangsters (2015).

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