Rahul Shanklya Wiki, Age, Height, Net Worth 2026

Rahul Shanklya is an Indian film director who has spent years behind the camera of some of Bollywood’s biggest love stories and is now stepping into the spotlight himself. A former associate of filmmaker Aanand L Rai, Shanklya directs Nakhrewaalii — the Jio Studios and Colour Yellow “womantic comedy” starring newcomers Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava — arriving in theatres on October 30, 2026. His journey from assistant director to the director of one of the season’s most talked-about romantic comedies spans more than a decade.

Early Life

Very little of Rahul Shanklya’s early life is on the public record. No reliable published source gives his date of birth, birthplace, or details of his schooling — a gap typical of behind-the-scenes filmmakers whose public profile only emerges once they take the director’s chair. What is verifiable is his professional path: he entered the Hindi film industry through the orbit of Aanand L Rai, one of the genre’s most successful directors, and built his craft working on the productions that defined mainstream Bollywood romance in the 2010s.

Career

Shanklya’s early career was built as an associate of Aanand L Rai. According to Box Office Worldwide and NewsBytes, he assisted Rai on the Tanu Weds Manu series, Raanjhanaa (2013) and Zero (2018) — a run of films that gave him a front-row education in directing mainstream Hindi cinema under one of its most commercially successful practitioners. Cinema Express likewise identifies him as a former associate of Rai, who now produces his work.

His first directing credit came with Meri Nimmo in 2018. Produced by Aanand L Rai’s Colour Yellow Productions, the film premiered on Eros Now on 27 April 2018 as the platform’s first-ever original film, per BizAsia Live. Written by Peeyush Shrivastava and running about 90 minutes, it starred Newton actor Anjali Patil as Nimmo opposite child actor Karan Dave, telling the story of an eight-year-old boy’s infatuation with a 24-year-old woman. The film was selected for 2016’s NFDC Film Bazaar and earned praise at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and the 19th MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, per the Indian Express, for its sweet, uncomplicated take on innocent love. His name appears in the film’s credits in variant forms — “Rahul Ganore Shanklya” (Planet Bollywood, Webindia123) and “Rahul Shankalya” (BizAsia Live, Indulge Express).

Nakhrewaalii is his biggest project to date. Bollywood Hungama has billed it as his directorial debut, though that label is used loosely — strictly speaking, his first directorial credit was Meri Nimmo, so Nakhrewaalii is best described as his feature theatrical debut as a director. Written by Divy Nidhi Sharma and produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aanand L Rai and Himanshu Sharma — with Sandeep Nair as co-producer — under Jio Studios and Colour Yellow Productions, the film pairs debutants Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava in a quirky romantic comedy the makers call a “womantic comedy”: a playful reversal of conventional relationship roles that also aims to spark conversations around women’s safety and social norms. The film was originally announced for a Valentine’s Day 2025 release before delays pushed it back; the makers unveiled the poster on October 12, 2026 — with the tagline “Kabhi Kabhi Pyaar Mein Majnu Ko Bhi Laila Banna Padta Hai” — and the trailer on October 15, 2026, per ANI and Cinema Express. It opens in theatres on October 30, 2026.

For a director whose public identity is still being written, Nakhrewaalii is the film that defines him — and its reception will decide whether Shanklya joins the ranks of directors who successfully crossed over from the assistant’s chair, as his mentor Rai once did.

Personal Life

Rahul Shanklya keeps his personal life out of the public eye. He is based in Mumbai’s film industry by virtue of his work, but his marital status, family members and private life have not been made public, and he has given no widely circulated interviews. Unlike the two young leads of Nakhrewaalii, his profile is that of a working filmmaker rather than a public personality — and reliable personal details are simply not available.

Rahul Shanklya Net Worth 2026

Rahul Shanklya’s net worth has not been officially disclosed, and no credible published estimate exists. As a director whose career income to date comes from associate-director work on major productions and the 2018 digital film Meri Nimmo, his earnings are those of a working industry professional rather than a publicly tracked figure. Nakhrewaalii‘s theatrical release on October 30, 2026 marks his first big-studio feature, which typically moves a director into a higher fee bracket if the film performs.

FAQ

Who is Rahul Shanklya?

Rahul Shanklya is an Indian film director and former associate of filmmaker Aanand L Rai. He directs Nakhrewaalii (2026), a Jio Studios and Colour Yellow romantic comedy starring Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava, releasing in theatres on October 30, 2026.

Has Rahul Shanklya directed anything before Nakhrewaalii?

Yes. He directed the 2018 film Meri Nimmo, produced by Aanand L Rai, which premiered on Eros Now as the platform’s first original film. Nakhrewaalii is his first theatrical feature as a director.

What is Meri Nimmo about?

Meri Nimmo is about an eight-year-old boy, Hemu, who develops an infatuation with his 24-year-old neighbour Nimmo, played by Anjali Patil. The 90-minute film follows the boy’s emotional roller-coaster when he learns Nimmo is about to get married.

Which films did Rahul Shanklya work on with Aanand L Rai?

Per Box Office Worldwide and NewsBytes, Shanklya assisted Aanand L Rai on the Tanu Weds Manu series, Raanjhanaa (2013) and Zero (2018), before Rai produced his films through Colour Yellow Productions.

What is Nakhrewaalii about?

Nakhrewaalii is billed by its makers as a “womantic comedy” — a romantic comedy about a man who becomes Sumita, playfully reversing conventional relationship roles. Written by Divy Nidhi Sharma and starring Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava, it also aims to touch on women’s safety and social norms, per Cinema Express.

How old is Rahul Shanklya?

No reliable published source gives Rahul Shanklya’s date of birth, so his age is not publicly confirmed.