Hemanth M. Rao is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Kannada cinema. He rose to fame following the success of his directorial debut Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016).
Career After a brief stint in journalism, Rao ventured into the film industry in 2005. He began working as an assistant director to Girish Kasaravalli on Gulabi Talkies (2008). He then worked in a similar capacity with Jacob Varghese on Savari (2009) and Prithvi (2010).
He made his directorial debut in 2016 with Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, a Kannada drama feature about a man searching for his missing father with Alzheimer’s, with a script that he co-wrote. that had Rakshit Shetty and Anant Nag playing the respective roles. The film, produced by Pushkar Films, was a box office success and received critical acclaim upon release.
Under his banner Lost & Found Films, he co-produced Humble Politician Nograj—a political satire comedy inspired by The Campaign. The film was produced by Pushkar Films and Paramvah Studios and was released in January 2018.
Rao’s next writing venture was Andhadhun (2018), which was also his first venture into Hindi cinema. He co-wrote the script with Sriram Raghavan, Pooja Ladha Surti (who was also the editor of the film), Arijit Biswas, and Yogesh Chandekarand. The film also garnered tremendous praise and popularity, while also quickly garnering a cult following. They all collectively won a Filmfare Award and National Film Award for their screenplay.
His second directorial was Kavaludaari (2019), which was also the maiden production venture of Puneeth Rajkumar under production house, PRK Productions. Kavaludaari won Best Movie in "Kannada Cinema Competition" at 12th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2020
Rao continued to work in the thriller space with Maestro, which released in 2021. His next directorial, Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, is a romantic drama which he wrote a long time back. Owing to the expansive timeline of the screenplay, it was split into two parts: Side A and Side B. Side A released on 1 September 2023 to critical acclaim from both the critics and audience, alike. Side B was released on 17 November 2023.
Filmography As director and screenwriter YearFilmCredited asNoteRef. Director Writer2016Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu 2018Andhadhun Hindi Film; National Film Award for Best Screenplay 2019Kavaludaari2023Sapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side ASapta Saagaradaache Ello: Side B2026FilmingTBADelayed
As producer Year Film Notes Ref.2016Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu Co-produced with Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah 2018Humble Politician NograjCo-produced with Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah and Rakshit Shetty2020Bheemasena NalamaharajaReleased on Amazon Prime Video2025AgnyathavasiCo-produced with Prachura P. P. and Jayalakshmi
Awards and nominations Film Award Category Result Ref.Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu64th Filmfare Awards SouthBest Film- KannadaBest Director- KannadaRaghavendra Chitravani Award 2017Best ScreenplayGollapudi Srinivas Award 2017First Time Best Director 6th SIIMA AwardsBest Film Best Debut DirectorAndhadhun66th National Film AwardsBest Adapted Screenplay ()64th Filmfare AwardsBest Screenplay ()24th Star Screen AwardsBest Screenplay ()20th IIFA AwardsBest Screenplay ()Kavaludaari12th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2020Best Film in Kannada Cinema Critics’ Choice Film Awards 2020Best Director Best Writing 9th SIIMA AwardsBest Director Sapta Saagaradaache Ello 69th Filmfare Awards SouthBest Director
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