Meet ex-Infosys techie who is Rashmika Mandanna, Vijay Deverakonda's new movie director. Who is Rahul Sankrityan?

The first glimpse of Vijay Deverakonda’s upcoming film VD14, officially titled Ranabaali, dropped on Republic Day (January 26) and instantly grabbed attention. While the powerful visuals and intense tone sparked conversations online, another name began trending alongside the lead stars, director Rahul Sankrityan. For many moviegoers, Ranabaali is not just about Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna reuniting after Dear Comrade, but also about the man steering this ambitious historical drama.

VD14 titled Ranabaali, first glimpse out

Set during British colonial rule, Ranabaali promises a story rooted in forgotten chapters of Indian history. The glimpse introduces audiences to a land described as “cursed” and a hero who rises against oppression. Without revealing too much upfront, the visuals hint at large-scale suffering, resistance, and the price paid by ordinary people during that era.




Rahul Sankrityan’s narration in the glimpse focuses on the darker side of colonial administration. It references regions that were deliberately pushed into drought and famine under British officials such as Sir Richard Temple. The film makes bold statements about mass deaths and economic exploitation. These claims, delivered through intense imagery, are designed to strike an emotional chord and provoke discussion.

Vijay Deverakonda appears in a fierce new avatar as Ranabaali, exuding raw intensity and authority. Rashmika Mandanna plays Jayamma, a character who seems central to the emotional core of the story. Adding an international presence, actor Arnold Vosloo, best known for The Mummy franchise, essays the role of the antagonist Sir Theodore Hector. One particular shot, showing Vijay on horseback dragging a British officer along railway tracks, has already become a talking point and boosted the film’s buzz.

Who is Rahul Sankrityan?

While the cast is drawing plenty of attention, Rahul Sankrityan’s journey to this project is equally compelling. In a 2018 interview with The Hindu, the filmmaker revealed that he was once a systems engineer at Infosys. A BTech graduate in computer science from Hyderabad, Rahul balanced a full-time tech job with his passion for cinema, shooting short films during the night. One of those short films even won him a MAA TV Award.

Explaining his transition to films, Rahul shared that what excited him most was the process of creating believable characters and building an alternate reality scene by scene. He admitted that he learned filmmaking largely through trial and error, as he came from Anantapur and had limited exposure to film schools or the industry. According to him, during his final year of engineering, he made a firm decision to pursue filmmaking as a career.

Rahul quit his job just before making his debut feature The End in 2014, a move that initially worried his parents. However, after the film’s release, he received encouragement from established filmmakers like Sukumar, who urged him to continue making movies.

Coming back to Ranabaali, the film is inspired by real incidents from the period between 1850 and 1900, events Rahul believes were misrepresented or erased from mainstream history. The movie aims to revisit stories of people once branded as rebels or savages. The film is slated for a pan-Indian release on September 11 in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam. Stay tuned!