Saad Khan

Saad Khan is an Indian director, screenwriter and acting teacher and Improv comedian who works in films and web series. He is the founder and creative head of FirstAction Studios that recently merged with Mumbai-based media conglomerate Rainshine Entertainment. Khan is known for his Kannada-English feature film Humble Politician Nograj (2018), which became a hit and the first Kannada film to achieve world-wide digital audience presence on Amazon's PrimeVideo platform.

As a writer & director, Khan's short film Another Kind of Black (2008) was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. During the first COVID lockdown, Khan created a Hindi web series and was also the chief writer for Ankahi Ansuni- a horror-thriller which is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

In addition to his directorial ventures - Station, Love & She, an indie Hollywood feature film on Amazon, and Humble Politician Nograj, Saad is also the host and creator of the live improvisational comedy show called The Improv, which became a platform for many stand-up and improv comedians in the country.

Saad Khan created, wrote and directed the web series Constable Girpade, which was released on Amazon Mini TV on October 6, 2023. The series stars Vrajesh Hirjee, Gaurav Gera, Muskan Bamne, and is a cop-comedy drama revolving around constable Mandaar Girpade (Khushaal Pawaar) and constable Timothy D’Mello (Neel Salekar), both stationed in an upscale area of Mumbai.

Khan was born in Mumbai, India, and was raised in Bangalore. Khan is an alumnus of St. Joseph's College, eventually graduating as a mechanical engineer from M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology. While studying to be an engineer, he developed an interest in theatre at the age of 17 and started writing and directing plays, also spearheading a theatre group which then produced over 12 plays in a span of 4 years.

Khan decided to pursue a career in film and media. After graduating from college, Khan left for the United States to continue his education in filmmaking. He got a degree certificate in filmmaking from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University where he was also awarded a study scholarship and assistantship. Khan's determination to excel in filmmaking then took him to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he was awarded his master's degree in Communication and Media. He then returned to New York to complete the summer degree program in directing at Tisch.

Right after completing college, Saad Khan wrote and directed two short films, Another Kind of Black and On My Mind. The former was selected at the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival, and the latter was shot in the south of the US and was screened at the Acadiana Film Festival. On his return to India, Khan assisted Ashutosh Gowariker in the Bollywood film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey almost immediately. After a 2-year stint in Mumbai, he founded his media company Firstaction Studios in Bangalore, which received recognition for content creation, ad films and commercials for brands, acting, communication and media workshops, producing stage shows, managing casting for films, ads, television commercials, viral videos and provides opportunities across India. Khan's production of the live comedy show The Improv (India) became a popular feature for the Bangalore audience. Unscripted and unrehearsed, the show has Khan and 4 improv comedians perform improv comedy on the spot by taking scenarios from a live audience. The Improv was the first national act which was presented by Black Dog Easy Evenings in Hyderabad, after they toured with performers such as Russell Peters, Robert Schneider, and the team of Whose Line Is It Anyway? In addition to performing across major Indian metro cities, The Improv has toured internationally with well received shows in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sweden.

Khan then moved into ideating and creating something with Danish Sait that changed the face of Kannada filmmaking- Humble Politician Nograj. The movie was a satirical take on a narcissistic and crazy politician's ambition to go from a small time corporator to an influential MLA. Humble Politician Nograj also created a strong buzz by becoming the first Kannada feature film to find its place on the international OTT platform - Amazon PrimeVideo. With web series and online shows catching up with the audiences, Khan and team decided to give it an online push with a web series. Instead of a film sequel to Humble Politician Nograj, Khan and Sait made the sequel as a web series in association with Applause Entertainment and the first season focused on Nograj's journey after he became an MLA. Khan also stated that the idea to push it online was creatively focused.