Rasheeduddin, who was a Pathan hailing from Kaimganj in Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh, was a nephew of Dr. Zakir Hussain (President of India – 1967 to 1969) and a communist politician favored by Indira Gandhi as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha at a relatively young age, in the early 1970s.

[7] Before becoming a full-time filmmaker he worked with Saeed Naqvi as a cameraman and director and travelled around the world covering international issues.

[8][7] Khan started his career at age 25 as a cinematographer for the Discovery Channel documentary film Beyond the Himalayas (1996) directed by Gautam Ghosh.

[9] Khan made his mainstream directorial debut with the Yash Raj Films-backed adventure thriller Kabul Express (2006).

Starring John Abraham and Arshad Warsi in lead roles, the film received mixed-to-positive reviews upon release, but emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office.

His next directorial venture, the action thriller Ek Tha Tiger (2012), again starring Kaif alongside Salman Khan, marked the end of his 3-film deal with Yash Raj Films.

"[14][15] After the widespread critical and commercial success of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he collaborated with Kaif for the third time, alongside Saif Ali Khan in the action thriller Phantom (2015).

The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release, and earned Khan his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.