Filmmaker Kiran Rao returned to directing after a 13-year hiatus with her 2024 film Laapataa Ladies. The film received critical acclaim and even became India’s official entry for the Oscars.
Now, in an interview with Variety India, Kiran has expressed her wish to direct films at Rohit Shetty’s pace and revealed that she has no plans to take such a long break again.
Kiran Rao on 13-year hiatus and making more films
When asked whether she felt the urge to direct during her 13-year hiatus, Kiran said, “Obviously, I want to just keep directing. Every director just wants to go from film to film. I wish I were 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.”
She added, “But I’m 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 further revealed that she is currently working on four or five different projects. She shared that one of them is a supernatural horror film, another is a noir project, and a third is a comedy-drama with Laapataa Ladies-esque elements.
About Kiran Rao
Kiran Rao made her directorial debut with the 2011 film Dhobi Ghat, starring Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra and Aamir Khan. The film received critical acclaim despite being only an average box-office performer.
In 2024, Kiran returned to directing with Laapataa Ladies. The film, which featured Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Srivastava and Ravi Kishan, earned widespread praise from critics. While it underperformed at the box office, it later found a wider audience after its release on Netflix in early 2025.
About Rohit Shetty’s upcoming film
Rohit last directed the 2024 film Singham Again, starring Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, and Arjun Kapoor.
He is currently busy shooting Golmaal 5. The film stars Ajay Devgn, Sharman Joshi, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal Kemmu, Shreyas Talpade and Akshay Kumar in key roles. On Rohit’s birthday, Akshay gave fans a glimpse of his look from the film, flaunting a bald appearance. He wrote, “Happy Birthday @itsrohitshetty On your birthday, the madness just got bigger and louder. Excited to be joining this crazy family of Golmaal 5! Let the chaos begin.”