Debut director Vishwak Khanderao discusses ‘Skylab’, a fictional story that stems from real events in Karimnagar in 1979
Vishwak Khandero, the first writer-director of a Telugu film skylab, grew up in Karimnagar, Telangana. As a child, he used to meet people named Skylab Reddy or Skylab Raju and his curiosity was piqued. He learned from his elders in mid-July 1979 about the growing fear of NASA’s space station Skylab crashing into this area. Decades later, he wrote a fictional comedy-drama set in the village of Bandalingampalli, set in the backdrop of the events of Skylab.
movie skylabReleasing in theaters on December 4, is co-produced by Nithya Menon. The ensemble cast includes Satya Dev, Rahul Ramakrishna, Vishnu Oi, Tulsi and Subbarai Sharma and Nithya Menon.
After completing post-production, Vishwak prepares for this interview and says with satisfaction: “I’m glad I was able to make my film and take it to the audience.” Filmmaking has been Vishwak’s 12-year dream. Vishwak, 30, completes writing skylab in 2016 and Lv. Collaborated with his colleagues from Prasad Film & TV Academy, Chennai. “In film school, I used to write plays and thrillers. For my first feature, I was looking for a personal story that had broad appeal. I remembered that my elders were talking about Skylab and I started researching.”
skylab is falling
The space station, which crashed into the ocean south of Cape Town, South Africa, diverted and debris scattered over Western Australia in July 1979. However, in the weeks before the accident, residents of Karimnagar and Nizamabad lived in fear. By the crash of the space station around them. Some took refuge in the homes of their relatives and relatives in other cities. Some sold their houses and land at throwaway prices and left the area. As per reports, a near lockdown situation prevailed: “Some people vowed to name their children after Skylab if they survived the accident. It has been said in the report that insurance of 36 crores was sold during that time.
Satya Devi
Vishwak has described his film as a comedy which has been treated like a musical. She and cinematographer Aditya Javadi moved from the traditional reddish browns associated with depictions of Telangana to a cooler color palette.
“I chose Bandalingampalli, my grandmother’s village, for the story because it has a strange ring to it. The main characters are eccentric and the story explores not only what happens when news of the Skylab crash comes to light, but the human psyche as well. The comedy is situational and strikes a chord with the characters,” he says.
Vishwak was helped in the writing process by his friend Vishnu Sai. Suggestions from editor Ravi Teja Girijala also came in: “We knew the Skylab event alone couldn’t generate interest for more than two hours.”
dream support
What helped the first-time director stay away from the mainstream formula is producer Prithvi Pinnamaraju’s staunch support: “He is all 26, which is what is happening on the international film circuit and in other Indian language films. He has a passion for making good quality films in Telugu.”
Vishwak introduced the story to Nithya Menon through producer Prithvi. During research notes and a detailed narration of a typewriter-themed musical composition (music by Prashant Vihari) for the character of a small-town journalist, the actor asked Vishwak if he had found any producer who stood his sight. Will happen. He also served as a co-producer.
Vishwak recalls his early creative pursuits in high school. He used to write poetry and later began to tell stories considering it as a more accessible form of art. After all, he wanted to make movies. For a family from Karimnagar who had no contact with the film industry, it seemed like a distant dream. He studied engineering in Warangal and in the meantime, gave his father the idea to pursue a career in cinema. “I knew my focus would be on him during the bus journey from Warangal to Karimnagar, which would take four hours. I put my interest in cinema to him. Later he suggested me to take a course in filmmaking.
skylab
Formal training in cinema helped Vishwak learn the craft as well as find his own direction in cinema. “I would watch everything from the mainstream Spice Films for Mani Ratnam films, as well as films made by Krzysztof Kislowski and other masters. I needed to figure out what kind of stories I wanted to tell. The film school helped me in this process.”
Film school training also helped him shoot the film in sync sound. He and his team used to plan even the smallest things before going on the sets. The film went on floors in March 2020 and after the first day of shooting, the lockdown was announced. Vishwak used the lockdown to further refine the script and says the trust his actors had in him kept him up: “I never thought I would get such a good set of actors for my first film. will get. Now I’m curious to see how people react skylab,
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