Rajnesh Domalpalli (Writer/Director)

Rajnesh Domalpalli comes from Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh in South India. He spent his childhood in small rural towns associated with dam construction projects where his father worked as a civil engineer for the government.

After completing his B. Tech in EE from the IIT Mumbai in 1984 and an MS from SUNY, SB in 1986 he worked as a Computer Engineer in California’s Silicon Valley before deciding to take up Film at Columbia University in New York and graduating with an MFA in 2006.

“Vanaja” is not only his first Feature but also his Thesis at Columbia. Rajnesh loves writing, and feels that it is the greatest challenge in making a good film. While at the IIT, he had dabbled in penning short stories during his spare time, and one of these, “The Dowry” was eventually picked up and broadcast by BBC’s World Service in Sept 1984 and Aug 1989. College was also where he was introduced to South Indian classical music on the veena, before following it up with several years of training in the vocal tradition.

Rajnesh’s other passions are photographing with friends in the California Sierras and wildlife.  He currently splits his time between Hyderabad and New York.

Milton Kam (Director of Photography)

Milton Kam moved to New York from his native Suriname to pursuit a fine arts education at the City College of New York where he discovered cinematography.

He has shot 10 features and over 50 short films, as well as music videos, documentaries, and spots for clients such as Canon and Coca Cola. His awards include the Kodak Vision Award for the Creative Use of Cinematography for Liesel de Boor's “Without a Name”, and the 1998 Columbia University Reel Award for Best Cinematography for Giovanni Morricone's “Photo”. He has shot the features “I Think I Do”, directed by Brian Sloan, and the family drama “ABCD”, directed by Krutin Patel, both enjoyed theatrical runs in New York and other major cities.