Kasaravalli graduated from FTII Pune in 1975, with a specialisation in film direction. The world of Kurosawa, Ray, Ozu, Fellini and Antonioni inspired him, and his conviction in neo-realist cinema deepened. In an interview many years later, he recollected how he was inspired by these filmmakers, especially Ozu. While in his final year, he was chosen to be the assistant director for B. V. Karanth for the film "Chomana Dudi". He passed out of the FTII with a gold medal to his credit. His student film "Avasesh" won the President's Silver Lotus award for the best experimental short film of the year.