In 1995, after having written scripts for ten films, including hits such as Aankhen, Bazmee made his directorial debut with the film Hulchul. Starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol, the film went unnoticed critically and commercially as well. However, his attempt to cast Devgan and Kajol once again in 1998 for his second directorial venture, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, proved successful. The film was both a major critical and commercial success, and turned out to be one of the industry's biggest hits that year.
After the success of Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Bazmee took a five-year break from directing. He returned in 2002, with the thriller Deewangee, which performed above average Business at the box office. In 2005 Bazmee directed the multi-star comedy film, No Entry. The film became the biggest hit of the year, earning over Rs 430 million in its domestic box office. He had great success with Welcome and Singh Is Kinng. Starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles, the films were commercially successful.
In 2009, Firoz A. Nadiadwala acquired the rights of the film The Hangover and announced that Bazmee was to direct a Hindi language remake of the film, making this the first time Bazmee would make a legitimate version of a Hollywood movie.
