Raghav Pillutla
| Raghav Pillutla | |
|---|---|
| File:Raghav Pillutla.jpgRaghav Pillutla.jpg | |
| Born | 2003-03-13 |
| 🏫 Education | Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Filmmaking – Direction and Editing from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology (2024) |
| 💼 Occupation | Director | Screenwriter | Producer | Actor | Editor |
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Family | Rajanikanth Pillutla (Father) |
Raghavagopal Pillutla (born 13 March 2003) is an Indian film director, writer, actor, editor and producer who works in Hindi cinema. His films often explore the human condition through varied, light hearted, nuanced, middle-of-the-road storytelling. He is also noted for his charismatic appeal, charming and witty on screen presence.
Pillutla's highly critically and publically acclaimed feature films include the independently produced coming-of-age drama Mann Behka (2025), and the documentary feature India: As I Didn't Know Her (2026). His directorial debut, Mann Behka, premiered at the 10th Rajasthan International Film Festival, where he received the Best Debut Director award for Hindi Feature Film.
Early life and education
Raghavagopal Pillutla was born on 13 March 2003, into a Vaidiki Brahmin family in Hyderabad. He has a younger brother. His father is a corporate executive, while his mother is a counselling psychotherapist.[1] He is fluent in Hindi, Telugu and English.
Throughout his childhood, Pillutla moved frequently between Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore, growing up in a middle-class household. He played cricket at a semi-pro level into his late teens. Despite his cricketing career being highly erratic, he credits the sport as a major learning experience that deeply shaped his personality.
According to accounts from his school years, Pillutla was regarded by classmates and friends as a good student who was also mischievous and humorous during his childhood. He reportedly entered his first romantic relationship at the age of 13. He was also part of the under-14 state camp as a later addition.
His cricketing career became particularly difficult during his teenage years. At the age of 14, he was dropped from his school team following a poor run of performances. Pillutla has described this period as a low point in his adolescence, during which he experienced social isolation and had to rebuild his social relationships. Accounts of the period also describe him as becoming involved in confrontations with peers and finding himself in difficult social situations.
Pillutla subsequently returned to competitive cricket till he tore three ligaments during a match, and became more settled socially. During his final year of high school, he entered a chaotic second relationship, which he has credited with contributing to his emotional maturity. Peers and colleagues mention a significant increase in social interactions whilst simultaneously making Mann Behka, and numerous romantic experiences setting off in his college years. Following graduation, Pillutla has reportedly been linked romantically to several women.
Amidst his cricketing struggles, Pillutla developed a strong interest in cinema, which soon evolved into a deep passion for filmmaking. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital Filmmaking – Direction and Editing from Srishti-Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology.[2]
Though always science inclined, Pillutla opted for commerce and mathematics due to hectic cricket schedules. Post graduation and after Mann Behka's release, Pillutla, in 2026, re-enrolled through National Institute of Open Schooling, completing his senior secondary in physics, chemistry and biology.
Career
Pillutla began working as a freelance filmmaker at 17 years old, building a portfolio of several short films and videos under the banner Raghav Pillutla Films, contributing in various capacities.[3]
While attending film school, in a bid to further hone his craft, Pillutla took on freelance client projects, briefly worked in the post-production department on a few Hindi films from major studios, and wrote film reviews, retrospectives, and papers on cinema[4] for Upperstall.com. Simultaneously, he applied his learnings and earned funds to independently write, direct and produce his debut feature film, Mann Behka, a slow burn coming-of-age romantic drama, made on a shoestring budget over five years from conception to release. The film garnered high critical acclaim and public affection, premiering at the 10th Rajasthan International Film Festival - RIFF 2024, where it received the Best Debut Director for Hindi Feature Film award.[5]
Following Mann Behka, Pillutla directed, edited, produced and starred his second feature, and his debut non fiction, India: As I Didn't Know Her. The documentary follows Pillutla backpacking solo across core India, guided by chance encounters that reveal the country beyond politics, nostalgia and a foreign gaze in a sharp and brisk fever dream-like manner, in a one man crew. The film was shot on an android phone and raw in-camera sound.
The non fiction began on his father's suggestion to take a vacation post Mann Behka's frenzy. Not finding a direct train or flight ticket to visit his grandparents in Delhi, Pillutla decided to make his trip interesting incorporating the perfect mix of culture, people, history and food, exploring parts of India he normally wouldn't. Pillutla reluctantly agreed to record his encounters at the suggestion of family and friends.
Pillutla initiated the edit on the invitation of top OTT platforms which didn't materialize as intended, editing the film across Delhi and Hyderabad. His intent was to direct a non-fiction feature easy to consume and diametrically/ tonally different to Mann Behka.
Filmography
Feature Films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mann Behka | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2026 | India: As I Didn't Know Her | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer, sound designer and sound mixer in a one-man crew film. |
Acting Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mann Behka | Daksh Aggarwal | Also Director, Writer and Producer |
| 2026 | India: As I Didn't Know Her | As Himself | Also Director, Writer, Editor and Producer |
Short Films - Selected Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | DoP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jack’s Tiresome Day | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Stop motion animation short |
| 2021 | A Day in Godrej | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short documentary |
| 2021 | Introduction to Banjara | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Corporate film |
| 2022 | Trishna | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Short fiction |
| 2022 | The Reticent Hustle | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short documentary |
| 2023 | Bangalore Fort: A Slice of the Past | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short documentary |
| 2023 | Langda Ghoda | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Short fiction |
Awards[6]
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Prize | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan International Film Festival, RIFF | 2024 | Feature Film - National | Mann Behka | Best Debut Director for Hindi Feature Film | Won |
References
- ↑ "Seema Pillutla". Seema Pillutla. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ↑ "Raghav Pillutla". raghavpillutla.com. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ↑ "Raghav Pillutla". raghavpillutla.com. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ↑ https://upperstall.com/author/raghavpillutla/. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Newsflash Express (2024-02-01). जयपुर : 10 वाँ राजस्थान इन्टरनेशनल फिल्म फेस्टिवल संपन्न हुआ. Retrieved 2025-05-04 – via YouTube.
- ↑ epaper.dainikjaltedeep.com https://epaper.dainikjaltedeep.com/editionname/Jaipur/DJALTEDEEP_JAI/page/7/article/DJALTEDEEP_JAI_20240129_7_2. Retrieved 2025-05-04. Missing or empty
|title=(help)
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