Kiran Rao reveals how advertising helped her survive in Mumbai

Indian director Kiran Rao was recently appeared as a guest on Cyrus Says podcast where she revealed that she didn’t make enough money to support herself in Mumbai even though she worked as an assistant director on many feature films including ‘Lagaan’.

She also talked about how an advertising job provided her the money she needed to live in the city.

She said, “I worked in the gig economy once. Worried about whether my money would survive and if I could pay the rent, I was going to find a job, work for as long as it paid, and then look for another one.”
When the host asked about working on the film ‘Lagaan’, implying that it should have paid well, Kiran replied, “Feature films didn’t pay. It was advertising that paid me the money to live in Mumbai. With Lagaan, the first assistant director (AD) system kind of started coming in. Advertising gigs helped me afford super expensive things like a computer and a car.”

Kiran, ex-wife of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and ‘Laapataa Ladies’ filmmaker, won hearts on social media and among fans with her film about two lost brides. Her previous films include ‘Dhobi Ghat’ (2010), ‘Talaash’ (2012).