After a year and a half with Badal Sircar, Sudhir Mishra left for Pune. In Pune, he spent time at the Film and Television Institute of India where his younger brother, Sudhanshu Mishra (to whom he credits to have learnt much of his cinema) was a student. Sudhir never studied at the institute himself.[6] He gained a Master of Philosophy degree in Delhi.[7]
In 2018, he wrote and directed a modern adaptation of Devdas titled Daas Dev starring Rahul Bhat and Richa Chaddha.[10] After this, he directed an adaptation of the popular Israeli show Hostages.[11] The show got mixed reviews but received critical acclaim for the performances of Ronit Roy and Tisca Chopra.[citation needed] A second season for the show was also made in 2020 in which he was the showrunner.[12]
Next, he adapted Manu Joseph's award-winning novel Serious Men[13] in co-production with Bombay Fables for Netflix India.[14] The film, which released in October 2020, received favorable reviews by critics and viewers. Indian film critic Mayank Shekhar said of the film, "the fact that this is a subtle, mature satire, rather than LOL comedy of manners (would've enjoyed some of the latter too). That in all its overt simplicity, this is also a complex story — about failure, first; and on the underclass, only later."[15] The film won Best Web Original Film Award at Filmfare OTT Awards 2021,[16] and Best Editing and Best Cinematography at the Asian Academy Creative Awards.[17] Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui received a nomination at the International Emmy Awards[18] and won best actor at the Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 for his performance.[19]