A mechanical engineer by qualification, Karan Shetty’s creative journey began in theatre. He wrote and directed plays—most notably Being Sartak Majumdar, a finalist at the prestigious Thespo14 festival at Prithvi Theatre. A chance encounter led him to copywriting at advertising agencies in Bangalore and Mumbai, which ultimately paved the way for his true calling: Filmmaking. 

Karan took to advertising filmmaking like the proverbial ‘moth to a flame’ and has spent over a decade directing ad campaigns for leading brands including Vivo IPL, Flipkart, Disney Hotstar, Suzuki, Cadbury, Star Sports, SpiceJet, ITC, Hindware, Abbott, Bayer and Marico Parachute, among others. 

Beyond commercial work, Karan’s love for narrative storytelling is best seen in his short films: Cuddly which was shortlisted for a Filmfare Award, Benetton One Faith, and the music video Takash Takash.