Bhardwaj made his debut as a music composer with the children's film Abhay (1995), and received wider recognition with his compositions in Gulzar's Maachis (1996).

He garnered widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades for writing and directing the Indian adaptations of three tragedies by William Shakespeare: Maqbool (2003) from Macbeth, Omkara (2006) from Othello, and Haider (2014) from Hamlet.

He has also directed the action film Kaminey, the black comedy 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), and the satire Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013).

His thumb broke during a practice session one day before an inter-university tournament, leaving him unable to play for the year.

[8] He met his wife, playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj, during a college annual function; she was a year senior to him.

[26] Bhardwaj made his directorial debut with the children's film Makdee (2002), starring Shabana Azmi, Makarand Deshpande and Shweta Prasad.

[28] This developed into the 2003 film adaptation Maqbool starring Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan and Tabu; it was set against the backdrop of Mumbai underworld.

[29][30] Sita Menon of Rediff.com called it "..a visual gallery that is an intelligent blend of dark, tragic overtones and comic, satirical undertones.

Set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh, the film starred an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vivek Oberoi and Bipasha Basu in lead roles, with Devgn playing the titular character.

7 Khoon Maaf (2011), a film based on Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands, was Bhardwaj's next directorial venture.

The story revolves around Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes (played by Priyanka Chopra) who murders her seven husbands in an unending quest for love.

[50] In 2013, Bhardwaj directed Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, a political satire set in the rustic surroundings of a village in Haryana.

Set during the Kashmir conflict of 1995, the film starred Shahid Kapoor in the titular role, for which he, along with Bhardwaj, charged no money.

[58][59] CNN-IBN's Rajeev Masand called it "an elegant, thrilling film that casts a brave, unflinching eye on the Kashmir struggle.

[63] After a two year hiatus, Bhardwaj returned in 2016 to direct Rangoon, a romantic drama set during World War II and starring Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan.

[65] In 2018, Bhardwaj wrote, co-produced and directed Pataakha, starring Sanya Malhotra and debutant Radhika Madan as two quarrelsome sisters.

It was based on the short story Do Behenein by Rajasthani writer and teacher Charan Singh Pathik, which he loved after reading it in 2013 in the Sahitya Kala Parishad journal.

[66] Udita Jhunjhunwala of Mint called the film "real and gritty" with Bhardwaj creating an "altogether authentic world".

However, she felt that the film was stretched in length and "squanders its material advantage to pad out a fable that splutters and grunts before it gains momentum.

Starring Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, the film was directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubey.

He teamed up with Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures to produce the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan in 2013.

Dealing with the theme of witchcraft, the film was based on 'Mobius Trips', a short story written by Konkona Sen Sharma's father.

The film was based on the 2008 Noida double murder case, and starred Irrfan Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi.

[75] Talvar premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival,[76] and was released in India on 2 October 2015 to positive reviews from critics.

[77] Apart from composing music, Bhardwaj has also lent his voice to various songs for films like Omkara,[78] No Smoking,[79] U Me Aur Hum,[80] Kaminey,[81] Striker,[82] 7 Khoon Maaf,[83] Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, and Haider.

The Kashmir conflict was shown in Haider,[16] the Mumbai underworld in Maqbool,[86] and Talvar was based on the 2008 Noida double murder case.

[16] Bhardwaj is influenced by the filmmaking styles of Krzysztof Kieślowski, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Akira Kurosawa.

[93] Bhardwaj's Shakespearean trilogy— Maqbool, Omkara and Haider— was screened as part of an event marking the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, co-hosted by the British Film Institute in London.