After a 13-year hiatus following ‘Dhobi Ghat’, Kiran Rao made her much-anticipated return to filmmaking with ‘Laapataa Ladies’, and she has no intention of disappearing behind the camera for that long again. Despite her deep passion for directing, she openly acknowledges that an overly cautious approach has often stood in her way. Having devoted the last decade to championing independent cinema, Kiran is now making up for lost time by simultaneously working on several projects spanning vastly different genres, including a supernatural horror story, a dark noir, and a comedy-drama cut from the same cloth as ‘Laapataa Ladies’.
Kiran Rao: ‘I wish I was Rohit Shetty ’
In a conversation with Variety India, Kiran talked about a long gap between ‘Dhobi Ghat’ and ‘Laapataa Ladies’ and said, “Obviously, I want to just keep directing. Every director just wants to go from film to film. I wish I was Rohit Shetty. Like, literally, while he’s editing one film, he’s directing the next film and promoting the third. If I had the confidence to just do that and not be so worried about the outcome, I would make many more films. But I’m sort of almost too careful about the viability of a project, the story and what I want to say. This is something that everyone should think about because films take a lot of resources, they’re not just nothing. I try to be mindful of that. But yes, I’d love to make many more films.”
Kiran Rao opens up about her upcoming films
She revealed, “I’m working on four or five different projects. The first is sort-of a genre film. I’m quite excited about that. It’s kind of supernatural-horror — my version. Then there’s a kind-of sort-of noir film, which is, sort of social commentary-ish. And then there’s one that’s a little more ‘‘Laapataa’’-esque, which is kind of a comedy drama. So, there are these three films that we’re simultaneously writing. There are a couple of shows, too, but I’m really not sure about this whole show thing. I’ve never gotten into it. It’s not a format I know well, especially working with other people… I’ve been very spoiled in that sense. Aamir Khan Productions gave me complete freedom to do what I want, and I don’t know whether I’d work so well with people giving me notes for everything.”
Kiran Rao names her favourite filmmaker
When asked about filmmakers who successfully balance artistic integrity with audience entertainment, Kiran didn’t hesitate. Kiran said, “I think Nagraj Manjule does it brilliantly. He’s my favourite filmmaker. I absolutely love him.”
Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan: From marriage to co-parenting
Kiran Rao tied the knot with actor Aamir Khan in 2005, but after 16 years together, the couple announced their separation in 2021. Despite parting ways romantically, they remain committed to raising their son Azad together.
