Tharun Bhaskar Dhassam in the anthology ‘Anger Tales’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
rom-com pelli chupulu 2016 came as a breath of fresh air for Telugu cinema and was appreciated for its relatable urban family drama, relationships and comedy, capped with feel-good music. With this, debutant director Tharun Bhaskar Dhassam became a sensation, transitioning from short films to blockbuster feature films. But do you know that before the release… pelli chupulu Was written by insiders in the Telugu film industry? In this conversation at ITC Kohnur Hyderabad, the director opens up about his journey and shares his insights into the cinema business.
take of directors
This series of interviews highlights the new crop of directors making a mark in Telugu cinema in recent years. The series is an attempt to discuss how larger-than-life Telugu films that attract nationwide attention co-exist with fresh films of small and medium budgets.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
soon after pelli chupulu(2016), you were considered the poster boy of new age Telugu cinema. Your success story has given hope to aspiring directors. With what dreams did you enter the industry?
I had no big dreams, no goals. That was scary. I just wanted pelli chupulu to be released. My father had passed away and there was a lot of black and white drama happening in the house. There was financial instability. It was a roller coaster of emotions. I was completely let down and received a lot of disapproval from the industry. i believed him pelli chupulu would be a disaster. So when it became a huge success, I didn’t know how to take it. With success came new responsibility. I was not ready to be the flag bearer of new age Telugu cinema.
Vijay Deverakonda and Ritu Varma in ‘Pelli Choopulu’
We, in the media, knew about the film even before its release, thanks to good word-of-mouth publicity from a few private screenings.
The credit goes to producer Suresh Babu Daggubati (who presented the film). Still, many people kept making fun of me and said who would watch the film in theaters if we hosted these free screenings. but suresh Garu Was insisting At that time, I also doubted whether it was the right thing to do. I thought no one would like the movie anyway, so let it do what it wants. I thought film was dead and we were just garlanding it with those screenings.
just before the release of his second film ee nagarniki amendi (ene)You said that the tag of pelli chupulu The director’s burden on you…
Did it. I have realized pelli chupulu It was blown out of proportion. I tried to make a good romantic-comedy like some Hollywood movies which I enjoyed watching. I didn’t mean to do anything new. The mention of ‘new age’ in the trailer was just for marketing. i like what srinivasa avasarla sir did Uhalu Gusagusalade and Ravikant Perepu Kshanam Appreciated as well.
in the industry, people talked about how we made pelli chupulu ₹63 lakh in and it went on to mint a lot at the box office. They thought how much can I earn if I am given a budget of Rs 2 crore. The attraction was about numbers. I didn’t want to work like this. it was weird but i thought if i failed ENEThat pressure will go away and I can get my freedom back. ENE Ek Dost was comedy and came from a place of sincerity.
A poster of the comedy comedy ‘E Nagarniki Emendi’
A few A-list stars had also shown interest in working with you, but you were adamant that unless a story warranted a star, you would not take up such a project. Why did you back out?
I have seen people take loans and put everything at stake, including their self-respect and their freedom. My parents instilled in me a sense of independence. Even after 1947 many of us are slaves. I didn’t want to be one. I was offered huge advances and I declined them. They expect you to dance to some tunes as soon as you pick up the check. All this happens in a subtle way; They are not conscious of it and they are not bad people. The fan clubs of the stars work like football clubs. There is madness in the whole aura. I didn’t want to be the guy who came in and created havoc with a star.
Tharun Bhaskar in ‘Seetha Ramam’
You then took up acting, collaborating with other directors and writing dialogues, and also hosted talk shows. How does all this help you grow?
I wanted to understand the industry and didn’t let any opportunity pass me by. Earlier I used to do short films, corporate videos, ad films and poster design. This helped me to be creative. I was amazed by the way the technicians worked during the live editing of the talk show. I got smart about how I watch television shows like Awesome,
I worked with other directors for films because I liked their work. I was not conscious about my career graph.
I was bitten by the acting bug in my childhood. I did stage plays. Being an actor made me more empathetic towards my actors; I understand why they need the perks of the caravan to block out the noise.
Acting made you a household name. Will this also help you in the early stages of marketing your third directorial venture? worm cola,
It would definitely help; It was a conscious effort to make a name for myself as an actor. I was often told that no one would know me because I am always behind the camera. And if I work with newcomers again, who will watch my film? I learned that being a judge Awesome made more famous than pelli chupulu Receiving two National Awards (for Best Screenplay and Best Telugu Feature Film).
If you have a market at the box office, you know how much you can experiment with. There’s no pressure because you know that your pre-release sales are done and the money is waiting for you after you’ve finished.
Brahmanandam in ‘Keeda Kola’
You said that you will present Brahmanandam as before worm cola, What else can you share about the film?
It is a wacky crime comedy that has no place for interpersonal relationships and people chasing money. what fascinates me pelli chupulu Success was the social experience of seeing people laugh. Making people laugh makes you feel like you are in power. i want to make it again worm cola, Let’s see whether people laugh or remain silent. We are introducing a 23 year old cinematographer AJ Aran, a new production designer named Ashish and technically this is a better project than my previous films.
As far as Brahmanandam sir is concerned, I cannot claim that I will present a new version of him after what he has done Rangamarthanda, I wanted to show her a subtle, realistic space with a bit of situational humour. Even if he’s not catering massively to the plot, you’ll admire him.
you directed a short story Ramula for netflix anthology pitta kathlu, Are there other projects for the digital space?
Ramula Gave me the confidence to go the digital route. I was inspired by the Coen brothers, studied their style and tried to do split editing… there are a lot of techniques Ramula I’m proud of it but somehow people haven’t received it as much as I thought they would.
We are working on a big series with three seasons. it’s a rural story in space gangs of wasseypur meeting of Saint, We have set up a writers room to make it a collaborative space with writers Ramya, Pranay and Chandan. I set it up during the pandemic and every day we discussed themes, storylines and how we could create escapism and still deal with social topics with honesty.
What do you think about this phase in the Telugu film industry where big films that grab attention across the country and smaller indie-spirited films co-exist? And where does your job fit in?
I’m still trying to get a handle on it. Recently Suresh Babu Garu He told me that he had a blank notebook and a pen, and now he was rewriting everything. Every Friday the dynamic changes and we learn about the psyche of our audience. The verdict of a film comes out soon after the morning show. People are consuming too much content.
every movie, whether it’s a Kantara or a mucus, is teaching us something about the way we are as a society. It is important for a filmmaker to be hyper realistic about what is happening around because, after all, we are a service industry providing entertainment to people. There is no place for the elite. The challenge is to combine good cinema and provide wholesome entertainment.