Hari Shankar is an Indian director and screenwriter. He was born on 31 March 1979 in Dharmapuri, Andhra Pradesh, India. He made his directorial debut with Shock (2006), produced by Ram Gopal Varma.
He has directed Mirapakay (2011), and Gabbar Singh (2012); for which he received the SIIMA Award for Best Director, and CineMAA Award for Best Director. Gabbar Singh grossed ₹150 crores (US$19 million) worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing Telugu films at the time. Ramayya Vasthavayya (2013) grossed a worldwide share of ₹309 million (US$3.9 million) and Duvvada Jagannadham (2017) grossed ₹ 115.10 crores.
Hari Shankar then began writing and screenwriting. He is influenced by Yandamuri Veerendranath’s works and is interested in dialects, and regional and linguistic influences. He was associated with Kona Venkat, Puri Jagannadh, and Ram Gopal Varma, and has worked as an associate director for films such as Ninne Istapaddanu, and Veede.