Aanand L. Rai (born 28 June 1971) is a Hindi film director and producer known for romantic-comedy movies ''
Tanu Weds Manu
''Tanu Weds Manu'' is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama by Aanand L. Rai, and produced by Shailesh R Singh. It stars R. Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar and Deepak Dobriyal. The story of the ...
'' (2011), ''
Raanjhanaa
''Raanjhanaa'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma. The film is produced by Krishika Lulla under the banner of Eros International. It stars Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Ab ...
'' (2013), ''
Tanu Weds Manu: Returns'' (2015), ''
Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
''(2018), ''
Atrangi Re
''Atrangi Re'' () is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language romantic fantasy comedy drama film directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma. Produced by T-Series Films, Colour Yellow Productions and Cape of Good Films, the film stars Dhan ...
'' (2021) and ''
Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hin ...
'' (2022).
Early life and background
Rai was born and brought up in Delhi. After his schooling in Delhi, he did his computer engineering from
Aurangabad
Aurangabad ( is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a hilly upland terrain in the Deccan Traps, Aurangabad is th ...
,
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
.
His family's original surname was Raisinghani, and had shifted to
Dehradun
Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...
from
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, after
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947.
Career
Rai started his career as an engineer, but soon left it and moved to Mumbai where he started assisting his elder brother television director Ravi Rai in television series. Later he started directing his own shows.
Eventually he made his directorial debut with the psychological thriller ''
Strangers
A stranger is a person who is unknown to another person or group. Because of this unknown status, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity (social science), identity and Character structure, character can be ascertained. Differ ...
'', starring
Jimmy Shergill
Jimmy Sheirgill (born Jasjit Singh Gill; 3 December 1970), also credited as Jimmy Shergill, is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi and Punjabi films.
Sheirgill began his film career with the 1996 thriller ''Maachis''. His bre ...
, based on the 1951 Hitchcock film ''
Strangers on a Train''. This was followed by ''
Thodi Life Thoda Magic
''Thodi Life Thoda Magic'' is a 2008 Hindi film directed by Aanand L. Rai, and produced by Bhavesh Patel, Akshay Shah & Saahil Chhada. The film stars Jackie Shroff, Parmeet Sethi, Paresh Rawal, Arbaaz Khan and Anita Raj in pivotal roles. Cricket ...
'' (2008) starring
Parmeet Sethi
Parmeet Sethi is an Indian actor, director, producer and writer. He is best known for portraying Kuljeet Singh in his debut in Aditya Chopra's directorial debut ''Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'' (1995).
Sethi has also acted in films such as ''Dh ...
. He achieved success with the 2011 romantic hit film ''
Tanu Weds Manu
''Tanu Weds Manu'' is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama by Aanand L. Rai, and produced by Shailesh R Singh. It stars R. Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill, Eijaz Khan, Swara Bhaskar and Deepak Dobriyal. The story of the ...
'' starring
Madhavan Madhavan may refer to:
People
* James Madhavan (died 1973), Fijian politician
* Kavya Madhavan (born 1985), Indian actress
* Mahesh Madhavan (born 1963/64), Indian businessman, CEO of Bacardi
* N. S. Madhavan (born 1948), Indian writer
* O. Madha ...
and
Kangana Ranaut
Kangna Amardeep Ranaut (; born 23 March 1987) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works in Hindi films. Known for her work in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and five Filmfar ...
. In 2013, he directed ''
Raanjhanaa
''Raanjhanaa'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Aanand L. Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma. The film is produced by Krishika Lulla under the banner of Eros International. It stars Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Ab ...
'' which featured actor
Dhanush
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
in his Bollywood debut,
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja (; born 9 June 1985) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has won a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award, and from 2012 to 2016, she appeared in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list based on her income and ...
and
Abhay Deol
Abhay Singh Deol (born 15 March 1976) is an Indian actor and producer who is known for his work in Hindi films alongside one Kannada and one Tamil film. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic c ...
.
His 2015 movie ''
Tanu Weds Manu: Returns'' received critical acclaim as well as box office success. His next film was
Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation
Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
, a romantic drama starring
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
,
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma (; born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and former producer who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India as of 2018, she has appeared in '' F ...
and
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Turquotte; 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee Cine Awards, in a ...
. The story revolves around a dwarf man. The film, though, described as ambitious in nature, received mixed reviews from critics and audiences.
He produces films under his banner
Colour Yellow Productions
Colour Yellow Productions is an Indian motion picture production company founded by filmmaker and film producer Anand L. Rai.
History
Colour Yellow Productions was founded in 2011 by Anand L. Rai. The company has produced successful films ...
.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Aanand L.
1971 births
Living people
Hindi-language film directors
Film directors from Delhi
Film producers from Delhi
21st-century Indian film directors