Indian director Kiran Rao recently appeared on the Cyrus Says podcast and revealed that despite working as an assistant director on numerous films, including ‘Lagaan,’ she didn’t earn enough to support herself in Mumbai.
She explained that her job in advertising provided the financial stability she needed to live in the city.
“I worked in the gig economy for a while. I was constantly worried about making ends meet and paying rent, so I would take jobs as they came, working as long as they paid, and then look for the next one,” she said.
When the host mentioned her work on ‘Lagaan’ and suggested it should have been lucrative, Kiran responded, “Feature films didn’t pay well. It was the advertising jobs that gave me the money to live in Mumbai. The first assistant director (AD) system really started with ‘Lagaan,’ but it was my advertising gigs that allowed me to afford expensive things like a computer and a car.”
Kiran, ex-wife of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and director of ‘Laapataa Ladies,’ has garnered admiration on social media and from fans with her film about two lost brides. Her earlier works include ‘Dhobi Ghat’ (2010) and ‘Talaash’ (2012).
