He watched movies during his WFH shifts at Tech Mahindra, then quit job. Two years later, the Telugu director’s movie became a box office hit, praised by Mahesh Babu, Nani

Sai Marthand‘s journey from attending office meetings while working from home to directing one of Telugu cinema’s biggest surprise hits is winning hearts online. A former computer science student who once dreamed of becoming an actor, the 27-year-old filmmaker rose to fame with his directorial debut, Little Hearts, in 2025. Made on a modest budget of around Rs 2.4 crore and reportedly completed in just 32 working days, the coming-of-age romantic comedy went on to earn over Rs 40 crore worldwide, establishing Sai as one of Telugu cinema’s most promising young directors.

From Tech Mahindra’s WFH desk to popular director

Before stepping into the film industry, Sai Marthand worked as a Network Engineer at Tech Mahindra‘s Pune office between 2021 and 2023. Most of his stint was under the company’s work-from-home (WFH) model.
A post he shared on Instagram in April 2026 has now gone viral after fans rediscovered it. Looking back at his corporate journey, Sai revealed that he had resigned from Tech Mahindra on April 12, 2023, exactly three years earlier.

Recalling those days with a dash of humour, he admitted that he spent much of his WFH time sleeping, hanging out with his cousins, watching countless movies and film interviews, rather than taking office work too seriously. He jokingly apologised to Anand Mahindra for his carefree approach while thanking Tech Mahindra for giving him memories that he would always cherish.

Sai also expressed gratitude to his colleagues, saying they constantly supported him throughout his job. He fondly remembered receiving a smartwatch as a farewell gift because his teammates knew he was a huge admirer of actor Kiara Advani. He described his office days as some of the most memorable moments of his life.

More about his debut movie Little Hearts

Just two years after leaving his engineering job, Sai made his directorial debut with Little Hearts. Starring Mouli Tanuj Prasanth and Shivani Nagaram, the coming-of-age romantic comedy connected strongly with audiences despite being made on a limited budget.According to Sacnilk.com, Little Hearts collected around Rs 40 crore worldwide, making it one of the most profitable Telugu films of 2025. The movie also received appreciation from several Telugu film personalities, including Mahesh Babu and Nani. It is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Sai’s successful debut also earned him the Best Debut Feature Film Director award at the prestigious Telangana Gaddar Film Awards, marking an impressive start to his filmmaking career.

The success of Little Hearts has already opened bigger opportunities for the young director. Sai has officially signed his next project with actor Adivi Sesh. The untitled film will be written and directed by him and is expected to go on floors after Adivi Sesh completes work on G2.