Kiran Rao

Biography:

Kiran Rao, born on November 7, 1973, is an Indian film producer, screenwriter, and director active in Hindi cinema. In 2016, she co-founded Paani Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating drought in Maharashtra.

She serves as a board member of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image. Born in Hyderabad and raised in Kolkata, Rao shifted to Mumbai in 1992 with Ajay Goyal. Graduating with a major in food sciences from Sophia College for Women in 1995, she pursued a master’s degree at AJK Mass Communication Research Center in Delhi.

Aditi Rao Hydari, an actress, is Rao’s first cousin, sharing a familial connection through J. Rameshwar Rao, the Raja of Wanaparthy. Rao commenced her career as an assistant director on the film Lagaan and later assisted on Swades: We, the People. Lagaan earned a nomination at the 74th Academy Awards in the foreign language film category and was produced and starred in by Aamir Khan, who she later married.

Rao also had a minor supporting role in Dil Chahta Hai and worked as a second assistant director on Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. She scripted and directed the film Dhobi Ghat, released in January 2011 under Aamir Khan Productions. Rao, now the chairperson of the Mumbai Film Festival – MAMI since 2015, has begun working on her next film rooted in Kolkata.

Married to actor Aamir Khan since December 2005, they met during the production of Lagaan. The couple, residing in Bandra, has a son named Azad Rao Khan, born in December 2011 via a surrogate mother. Despite their shared commitment to veganism, Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan announced their decision to divorce in a joint statement on July 3, 2021, expressing gratitude for the support of family and friends as they co-parent their son Azad Khan.