He quit Tech Mahindra to follow cinema; debut film earned Rs 40 crore
Sai Marthand, a former network engineer at Tech Mahindra, has successfully transitioned into a career as a film director. His debut film, 'Little Hearts', has become a commercial success, marking a significant career pivot from corporate IT to cinema.
Why it matters
This story illustrates the growing trend of professionals leaving stable corporate tech jobs to pursue creative passions, often facilitated by the flexibility of modern work environments.
For many young professionals, a work-from-home job offers flexibility. For Sai Marthand, it also became an unexpected stepping stone towards a completely different career. Before becoming one of Telugu cinema's most talked-about debut directors, he spent nearly two years working as a network engineer at Tech Mahindra. Today, his first film, Little Hearts, has emerged as one of the biggest surprise commercial successes of 2025.As his career in cinema gathers momentum, an Instagram post he shared earlier this year has resurfaced online, giving people a glimpse into his life before the cameras started rolling. In the post, Sai looked back on his corporate days with honesty, humour and gratitude, admitting that his growing love for films had already begun while he was still working as an engineer.From network engineer to aspiring filmmakerSai Marthand worked at Tech Mahindra's Pune office between 2021 and 2023 as a network engineer.
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