Gowtam Tinnanuri

Gowtam Tinnanuri is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Telugu cinema alongside Hindi films. Born in Andhra Pradesh, he completed his engineering education and worked in the corporate sector before leaving his career to pursue screenwriting and filmmaking.

He made his directorial debut with the sensitive romantic drama *Malli Raava* (2017), starring Sumanth and Aakanksha Singh, which earned critical acclaim for its poignant writing and non-linear structure. He achieved a major breakthrough with the sports drama *Jersey* (2019), starring Nani and Shraddha Srinath. Chronicling the emotional journey of a former cricketer making a comeback in his mid-30s, the film became a massive critical and commercial success, winning two National Film Awards—including Best Feature Film in Telugu—and earning Tinnanuri the Critics' Choice Film Award for Best Director – Telugu. Following this acclaim, he made his Hindi cinema debut by helming its official remake, *Jersey* (2022), starring Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur.

Known for his character-driven narratives, emotional depth, and layered screenplay style, he expanded his directorial scope into high-stakes action with *Kingdom* (2025), a period spy action thriller starring Vijay Deverakonda. He has also directed the unreleased coming-of-age musical drama *Magic*, featuring music by Anirudh Ravichander.