Nag Ashwin began his career as an assistant director in the psychological thriller Nenu Meeku Telusa?, one of the most intriguing filmmaking talents to grace Telugu cinema in recent years (2008). After that, he worked with Sekhar Kammula on the critically acclaimed political drama Leader (2010) and the coming-of-age drama Life is Beautiful (2012).
In 2015, Ashwin made his independent directorial debut with Yevade Subramanyam, a coming-of-age drama that he created and starring Nani in the title role. The film was a critical and financial success, winning the Nandi Award for Best First Film of a Director that year. It followed the story of an ambitious youngster's quest for self-discovery. In 2018, Ashwin made his directorial debut with Mahanati (Nadigaiyar Thilagam in Tamil), a biographical drama film based on the lives and times of iconic yesteryear actress Savitri and starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead role. Jathi Ratnalu is included in his 2021 release.