Roopa Rao: Shining in Cinema’s Male-Dominated World

Roopa Rao’s name stands out in the primarily male-dominated world of cinema. The petite filmmaker is not only a writer, director, and producer but also a former project manager at Infosys. Roopa boldly quit her IT job to pursue her passion for filmmaking, launching her cinematic career with the web series The Other Love Story in 2016.

Following the web series, Roopa gained acclaim with her award-winning Kannada film Gantumoote in 2019, which delves into the pressures of excelling in academics. Roopa not only wrote and directed the film but also produced it alongside Sahadev Kelavadi, the film’s cinematographer.

Sahadev Kelavadi has since written and directed Kenda, Roopa’s third project as a producer. This yet-to-be-released film was recently screened at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival in New Delhi, where Sahadev won the Dada Saheb Phalke Best Debut Director Award.

“I am thrilled about the win for Kenda,” says Roopa as she navigates traffic in Bengaluru, en route to the shoot of a Hindi film she is executive producing. “I cannot share the details, but we are five days into the shoot.”

The recognition for Kenda is immensely gratifying, Roopa shares. “It is a reassurance that we are on the right path and telling the right stories. The award has encouraged us to make more such films.”