New Brigade of 2024: Debut directors of Telugu cinema

recap 2024

Beyond the glitz, promotion and attention of star-studded films directed by well-known names earning several hundred crore rupees at the box office, Telugu cinema is seeing a wave of first-time directors coming up with fresh stories. Here are some that came out in 2024.

no small feat

Nand Kishore Imani, ’35: Chinna Katha Kaadu’

Nand Kishore Imani’s 35-Chinna Katha Kaadu (’35-Not a Small Story’) is a deceptively simple film in which mathematics and music are the tools through which relationships are navigated between school friends, a couple, mothers and sons, fathers and sons, and between the elder and the younger. Is. The woman is being searched.

Screened in the Indian Panorama section at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa. 35 Reminds me of the films of great director K Vishwanath. Nand Kishore, who considers the films of director K Vishwanath, Bapu and Singeetham Srinivasa Rao as his inspiration, breaks many stereotypes. “In the industry, the romance in a marriage or the bond between children in school is not considered marketable. Since very few films have explored these aspects in depth in recent times, I saw this as an opportunity to tell the story,” he says.

Arun, a boy nicknamed Zero because he is unable to understand the basic principles of mathematics, is challenged to score at least 35 marks in the subject. He does not get any help from his teacher (on the contrary). Taare Zameen ParNand Kishore says, “No outsider can always help us in our life,” and Arun’s mother, Saraswati (Nivetha Thomas In an extraordinary performance), a failed Class 10 candidate rose to the challenge.

another trope that 35 The father’s stance is so strict that he can be seen as an adversary. “It would have been easy to do that,” says Nand Kishore. “A father’s strict nature usually comes from concern for his child. So I wanted Prasad (Vishwadev) to come across as a good-natured father.”

Nanda Kishore was keen to make a commercially viable children’s film and is happy to 35 The business was profitable for everyone involved. It was not easy to present his story to the producers because there was no precedent for such a film. “I wanted 35 To be successful so that anyone wishing to pursue this path can cite this film as an example.

The banter between the school children and their support for Arun is heart-touching. For the keen observer, there are subtle details. For example, it was composer Vivek Atreya’s idea to include a short poem by mathematician Bhaskaracharya just before the song ‘Taralaina Cheralante’.

circle of life

Sujeet and Sandeep, ‘KA’

Directors Sujeet and Sandeep; Kiran Abbavaram in ‘KA’

During pre-release promotions, the actor Kiran Abbavaram And debutant directors Sujeeth and Sandeep exude confidence in the film’s unexpected climax. The last 20 minutes of the film take the audience by surprise and transform the thriller into a thought-provoking narrative, evoking a sense of awe.

Sujit explains, “Soon after this K.A After the release, Sandeep and I were nervous that if the ending was discussed on social media, it might spoil others’ enjoyment. Thankfully, we did not receive any spoilers from the audience or critics.

Sujeet was a brand strategist and his brother Sandeep was a graphic designer who specializes in visual effects. Sujeeth analyzed the trends of Telugu cinema to identify less explored genres. “To make the audience eager to come to the theatres, we had to offer them something exciting. Since the pandemic, people are watching international cinema and want new stories.

As someone with an interest in philosophy, Sujeeth began working on a story that explores themes like birth, karma, death and the journey of the soul and weaves it into a thriller. “A few decades ago the postal system was the dominant method of communication and I chose it for the story.” Thus, he portrayed the hero as a postman who reads letters from others to fill the void in his life. “The womb was an interesting concept to connect all these ideas; It is said that the soul, or K.ARecalls past life events. The interrogation room was born out of the idea that we are accountable to someone for all our actions – whether it be conscience or God. The ending of the film was known only to the directors, actors involved in the scenes, and cinematographers.

While Sujeet supervised the creative aspects, Sandeep helped execute the production design and visual effects. There were approximately 600 VFX shots in the film.

Sujeet says that ever since the film started streaming digitally (on ETV Win), audiences have been paying attention to the smallest of details thanks to Dolby Atmos sound and Dolby Vision streaming. “The texture of the walls of the interrogation room and the sound of the mother’s breathing in the background are all being taken into account.”

self-discovery journey

Vidyadhar Kagita,Gami”

Vishwak Sen in ‘Gami’; Director Vidyadhar Kagita

An Aghora (Vishvak Sen) who cannot feel human touch, sets out on an arduous journey to the Himalayas in search of a cure. As parallel stories unfold, the journey becomes much more than a physical exploration. Vidyadhar Kagita’s Gami It was a journey of eight years. Vidyadhar, a mechanical engineering graduate, had earlier said that the ambitious film was a result of his “innocence, madness and stupidity” of taking a leap of faith into the unknown.

When the film released in theaters this March and the opening weekend saw houseful shows in single-screen theaters at Hyderabad’s RTC intersection, Vidyadhar admits he was pleasantly surprised. “It made me think, because I allegedly didn’t make my film to please the crowd. The audience was reacting to the moments. He celebrated when the girl (an important character in the film) returned, and was patient during the parts where there was no background music; This is difficult to achieve. This was a period of learning. Filmmaking is about the engineering of an emotion. The difficult part is to understand whom we are serving. The sensibilities of someone working abroad in a multinational company may be different from that of someone who works hard all day and comes to a single screen theater in Hyderabad, but they both are bound by the same emotions.

While watching the film, Vidyadhar says he is critical of his work and cannot watch any frame without thinking about how he could have done it better. “I also think that this film represents my personality and thinking at that time; I have grown since I started films.

black, white and brown

Yadu Vamsi, ‘Samiti Kurrollu’

Yadu Vamsi; ‘Committee Kurrolu’

“In our childhood and adolescence, differences of caste and religion among friends do not come into play unless the elders around us encourage them. I remember when we were preparing for EAMCET (Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test), we started seeing how some students benefited because of reservation,” says Yadu Vamsi, an investment banker turned filmmaker. .

Samiti Kurrolu It was a three-year journey, during which Vamsi and his team auditioned over 6,000 actors to select 14 new actors for the film. “I didn’t want to cast a famous actor because they carry an image.” He pitched his story, set in Amalapuram, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, to several producers. Although many of them appreciated the story, they were hesitant about taking it on. “Some of them wanted me to tell the story with fewer characters. Some people advised me to make a ‘box office safe’ debut film like a romantic comedy and save this story for the future. But I was determined to leave my mark.”

Through actor Ankit Koya, he came in contact with Niharika Konidela, who came forward to produce the film and ensured creative freedom to execute the story, which unfolds across three time periods – 1990, 2010 and 2023. “My intention was to make a nostalgic film that celebrates friendship. One that transcends caste barriers and also explores the issue of reservation, which is not clearly black or white. I am glad that The audience appreciated the film and understood its ethos.

Whether or not these directors continue to stay away from the formulaic route in their next films, they are unanimous on the importance of making films that don’t ignore the audience. As Nand Kishore says, “Box office success Samiti Kurrolu, Gami And 35 It has shown that when we make good films, people will come to theatres. Audiences, who are familiar with world cinema thanks to digital platforms, are keen to support good stories.