Actor-filmmaker Renu Desai started her career as a model and appeared in many fashion shows and advertisements. However, she rose to fame with the music video of Shankar Mahadevan`s record-setting song Breathless. She turned an actor and appeared in films like Badri (2000) and Johnny (2003) opposite her future husband Tollywood actor Pawan Kalyan. Desai made her directorial debut with the 2014 release Ishq Wala Love, which she also produced.