Kiran Rao admitted that feature films didn't provide enough income for her to survive in Mumbai, unveiling what truly supported her when she started her career. While appearing on Cyrus Broacha's YouTube channel, the 50-year-old film producer shared that despite her work on numerous popular movies as an assistant director, she struggled to earn enough for her survival in Mumbai. And it was through advertising that she found financial stability in the city.
She said, “I used to be a gig economy worker. I would get a job, work as long as it paid, and then look for another job, worrying whether my savings would last and if I could pay rent.” When Cyrus reminisced about her work as an assistant director on Aamir Khan's Lagaan and speculated whether it might have been lucrative for her, Kiran said, “Feature films didn’t pay.
It was advertising that paid me the money to live in Mumbai. With Lagaan, the first AD system kind of started coming in.” She further admitted to purchasing her first car with assistance from her father.
"He sold it to me for Rs 1 lakh. Have you ever heard of that? My father was like, ‘This is the only way you will save money.’ We drove it from Bangalore to Mumbai on the newly minted expressway.
" Kiran Rao is basking the success of her recently directed film Laapataa Ladies, released on 26 April 2024..