Rajkumar Hirani was born in Nagpur and studied there upto graduation. Right through his student days, he was very actively involved with Hindi theatre in Nagpur. Following his graduation, he headed for the Film & Television Institute of India at Pune, where he completed his Diploma in Cinema in 1987 with a specialisation in editing. He began his career in Mumbai as an editor and gradually moved on to establish himself as a director and producer of advertising films. With his own production house, Canvas Films, he has a substantial body of advertising work for many major Indian brands behind him. As a director, he's looked for variety - advertising, documentaries, public service spots, TV serials and music videos. Generally, human interest subjects have attracted him most - capturing the humour in a situation or the warmth of a moment. Getting his actors to give off their best and drawing out just that extra from them which goes straight to the audience's heart is what he really enjoys. Occasionally, he has also edited for other directors. One such assignment for Vidhu Vinod Chopra, ‘Mission Kashmir’, got him the Best Editor Award at the Zee Cine Awards. Munnabhai M.B.B.S. is his maiden venture as a feature film director.