The season of new directors for TFI

It’s a good time to be a young filmmaker in T-town. With top directors like Puri Jagannath, Srinu Vytla, Trivikram Srinivas, V.V. Vinayak and Sukumar charging around Rs 6 to Rs 10 crores, T-town producers are roping in directors with just one or two hits.

And with the superstars willing to work with young blood, new-age directors like Srikanth Addala, Santhosh Srinivas, Sampathi Nandi, Maruthi, Sudhir Varma and Ashok have moved to the big league in one stroke.

“I am excited about directing superstar Jr NTR. I was on cloud nine when he okayed my script after a two-hour narration; but later I took time to rework it to suit his larger-than-life image. Working with big stars gives us lot of creative freedom since budgets are big and we can shape the theme into a lavish entertainer,” says director Santhosh, who has had just one hit, Kandireega.

Producer Sarath Marar of Northstar Entertainments, who roped in Sampath Nandi for his big ticket film with Pawan Kalyan for Gabbar Singh 2, says, “These young directors have a big hunger for success. Sampath is a bundle of talent. Even Pawan has a track record of working with new directors and has launched directors like Puri, Karunakaran and Harris Shankar since he connects well with their ideas. “But if at all we save any money, we put it back in the production to make it more grand” he reasons.

Even director Maruthi who has worked on movies like Ee Rojullo and Bus Stop, will be soon directing seasoned star Venkatesh.

Meanwhile, top producer B.V.S.N. Prasad, who has worked with the likes of Rajamouli and Puri Jagannath, has signed up director Sudhir Varma of Swamy Ra Ra fame for his next film with Jr NTR. “My son and Sudhir are good friends and are doing something; but I don’t know much about it. However, young directors are the need of the hour since T-town has a dearth of directors. “A star can do two films a year while a big director can do just one film, so there is space for new talent,” he reasons.

Venkatesh, who is going to work with young director Ashok of Pilla Zamindar fame in a silent movie, admits that new directors come up with interesting concepts, prompting stars to move out of their comfort zones. “I felt thrilled when director Ashok narrated this exciting silent movie idea and asked him to go ahead with further scripting. Now-a-days, breaking away from one’s established image is more of a necessity than a choice,” he says.