Rajiv Rai is a prominent Indian director and film writer. He was at the pinnacle of success when an attempt on his life by the underworld forced him to flee the country in 1997. Though he came back a few years later to make two more films, they could not recreate the heady success of his earlier works. Rajiv Rai was born in Bombay with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. He is the son of Gulshan Rai, one of the leading film producers of the 1970s who produced films like Johnny Mera Naam (1970), Deewar (1975), and Trishul (1978). After studying at the Doon School in Dehradun and St Xavier’s College in Bombay, Rajiv Rai assisted Yash Chopra before directing his first film Yudh (1985) in which Anil Kapoor played a double role, as a public prosecutor and as a criminal. Jackie Shroff played a police inspector.

In 1989, Rai’s multi-starrer blockbuster Tridev (1989) established him as a popular filmmaker. Not only did it reinvent Naseeruddin Shah as a dancing star with the chartbuster “Tirchi topiwale”, it also brought future wife Sonam (who played Shah’s love interest) into Rai's life. Co-starring Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff and Amrish Puri, the film was a monster hit and its music a rage.

His next, Vishwatma (1992), was not as successful, but it was also well received and paved the way for two subsequent suspense thrillers, Mohra (1994) and Gupt (1997). In both films, the villains were masterfully concealed and the films kept audiences guessing till late into the narrative. Both films also had hit music and melodious songs, notably “Tu cheez badi hai mast mast” in Mohra and the title song of Gupt, all composed by Rai’s regular composer Viju Shah, son of Kalyanji Shah of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo.

Rajiv Rai’s comeback film, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat (2001), introduced Arjun Rampal to the film industry but was not a commercial success. Asambhav (2004), starring Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra, also did not do well. Since then, Rajiv Rai has not added to his body of work.