Quick Facts
Biography
Aanand L. Rai (born 28 June 1971) is a Hindi film director and producer known for romantic-comedy movies Tanu Weds Manu (2011) and Raanjhanaa (2013). His latest film is Tanu Weds Manu: Returns starring Kangana Ranaut (Double Role), R. Madhavan, Deepak Dobriyal, Swara Bhaskar, and Jimmy Shergill.
Early life and background
Rai was born and brought up in Delhi. After his schooling in Delhi, he did his computer engineering from Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
His family's original surname was Raisinghani, and had shifted to Dehradun from Sindh, after partition of India 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 psychological thriller, Strangers starring Jimmy Shergill, based on 1951 Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train. This was followed by Thodi Life Thoda Magic (2008) starring Parmeet Sethi. However, he achieved success with 2011 romantic hit film Tanu Weds Manu starring Kangana Ranaut. In 2013, he directed Raanjhanaa which was actor Dhanush in his Bollywood debut, Abhay Deol and Sonam Kapoor.
His 2015 movie Tanu Weds Manu: Returns, received critical acclaim as well as box office success. He produces films under his banner Colour Yellow.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Strangers | Yes | |
| 2008 | Thodi Life Thoda Magic | Yes | |
| 2011 | Tanu Weds Manu | Yes | |
| 2013 | Raanjhanaa | Yes | |
| 2015 | Tanu Weds Manu: Returns | Yes | |
| 2016 | Nil Battey Sannata | Yes | |
| 2016 | Happy Bhaag Jayegi | Yes |