Gitanjali Rao

Gitanjali Rao Biography

Gitanjali Rao is a film and theatre artist who is also known as an animator. Her animated short story, True Love Story was selected one among the best 10 short films at Critics' Week at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. She was one of the directors of Bollywood anthology film - Shorts (2013 film). This experimental film was welcomed by critics. Neeraj Ghaywan, Vasan Bala, Anubhuti Kashyap and Shlok Sharma were other directors. She is a graduate of Sir. J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai. She has served as a jury member of several film festivals.  Printed Rainbow (2006) and Chai (2013) are her other directorial ventures. Printed Rainbow won the Fipresci critics award for short animation at Krakow International film festival 2007.

She belongs to Mumbai, born in the year 1972. While studying at Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai in the early 1990s she enjoyed painting, and wanted to study films. Animation offered her a good combination of both painting and cinema, and that’s how she got drawn towards the world of animation. A self-taught filmmaker, she assisted Ram Mohan, the pioneer of animation in India and that’s how she learnt more about the art of animation. She also experimented with folk art, painting and theatre forms.

Orange – a 4-minute film marked her directorial debut, which told a story about relationships. Printed Rainbow – earned her critical acclaim. It told how a matchbox helped an old lady get rid of her loneliness. She was one of the directors of the film - Shorts produced by Anurag Kashyap. She is a recipient of Kodak Short Film Award, Small Golden Rail and Young Critics Award at Cannes Film Festival.

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Updated: April 24, 2016