Producer
Kiran Rao, born on November 7, 1973, is an Indian film producer, screenwriter, and director known for her work in Hindi cinema. In 2016, she co-founded Paani Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting drought in Maharashtra.
Rao is also a board member of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, which plays a significant role in promoting and supporting the film industry in Mumbai.
She was born in Bangalore but grew up in Kolkata. In 1992, her parents decided to relocate, and she moved to Mumbai with Ajay Goyal. Rao completed her graduation with a major in food sciences from Sophia College for Women in 1995. She briefly attended the Social Communications Media course at Sophia Polytechnic but later left for Delhi. She pursued her master's degree at AJK Mass Communication Research Center at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
Notably, actress Aditi Rao Hydari is Kiran Rao's first cousin. Their family background is connected to royalty as Rao's paternal grandfather and Hydari's maternal grandfather, J. Rameshwar Rao, was the Raja of Wanaparthy, which was a large estate under the Nizam of Hyderabad. Presently, Wanaparthy is a district in Telangana.