Om was born in Mumbai and raised in Mumbai & New York. His mother, Neena Raut is a National film Award winner and TV producer, and his father, Bharatkumar Raut, is a senior journalist, well-known author, and a successful member of The Indian parliament. His grandfather J.S. Bandekar was a renowned documentary filmmaker and editor, who has won several National Awards as well as acclaims and mentions at the Cannes Film Festival. Om has worked as a child actor in a number of theatre plays and ad films. He made his feature film acting debut with the lead role in Karamati Coat. The film was loved by the audience from across the globe and won various accolades in number of film festivals.
Education
Om has his post-graduate degree in films from the renowned Syracuse University, New York. He also holds a bachelors degree in Electronics Engineering from Shah & Anchor college of Engineering in Mumbai, India.
Career
After completing his education, he started working as a writer and director for MTV Networks, NY. After his successful stint in the US, he decided to move back to India to be the vice-president of creative business at Valuable Group, promoters of UFO-Moviez, world’s largest satellite-based digital distribution platforms. Later, Om worked as the creative head of DAR Motion Pictures and was involved in producing critically acclaimed film like City of Gold & Haunted – 3D, the highest box office opener ever for an Indian horror film. In 2012, along with his mother Neena Raut, who has been a prominent producer in Marathi film industry, he co-founded Neena Raut Entertainment. Their first feature film production was “Lokmanya: Ek Yugpurush”, which also marked the directorial debut of Om and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director.
Filmography
Lokmanya: Ek Yug Purush
, Om's dream project, was his directorial debut and also Neena Raut Films' first feature-length production. The film is based on the life story of Bal Gangadhar Tilak - a social reformer and the freedom fighter of the Indian independence movement. The makers spent 1.3 crore on the visual effects of the film, which was the highest ever spent for a Marathi film. The film was praised by audience as well as critics. The Times of India gave 4 stars to the film adding "Very rarely does a Marathi film get a standing ovation from the audience and is one of them". "It was my dream to make a film on Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and therefore, I spent three years into research and planning, though it has taken only seven months to shoot the entire film. My entire team has worked very hard and I am sure, the film will make a great overall success," Om Raut said in an interview with Zee Talkies.
