In the last decade, several Telugu films have received critical acclaim. These films visibly deviate from the template Tollywood movie plots, and have made a distinct mark in the industry. They do not deal with hypermasculine supermen who can send the villains flying in the air, but with characters who grapple with everyday realities. Some of the directors have also acted in films, playing various roles.
While there are many homegrown directors who've made such successful, offbeat films, there are also a few who have gone abroad to learn filmmaking. Here's a list of Telugu directors who picked up their skills abroad.
Tharun Bhascker: This director, who shot to fame with the Vijay Deverakonda and Ritu Varma starrer Pelli Choopulu, is a graduate from the New York Film Academy in the United States. He started his career with a short film, The Journey, in the year 2011. He also received critical acclaim for another short film, Sainma. His feature film Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi also received a good response from the audience.
Tharun has also tried his hand at acting. Recently, the director played the lead role in the comedy suspense film Meeku Maatrame Chepta. Before this, he was seen in films like Falaknuma Das and Sammohanam.
Nag Ashwin: The Mahanati director made his debut with Yevade Subrahmanyam in the year 2015. Nag Ashwin also did his film direction course at the New York Film Academy after finishing his Bachelor's in Mass Communication from Manipal. The director initially worked as an assistant director under Sekhar Kammula and was part of the crew of films like Leader and Life is Beautiful.
With Mahanati, he bagged several awards, including a National Award and Equality in Cinema Award. He's now all set to shoot the highly awaited Prabhas and Deepika Padukone film.
Sekhar Kammula: One of the best directors in Telugu cinema, Sekhar Kammula has given us unique scripts. The director did his Master's in Fine Arts from Howard University. His latest film Fidaa, was also mostly shot in the US in the second half.
Apart from Fidaa, the director is known for his other films like Anand, Godavari and Happy Days. Most of his films have been received well by the audience and critics alike. The director made his debut with an indie film, Dollar Dreams, which won a National Award for Best First Film.
Srinivas Avasarala: Many might be familiar with him as an actor, but he's also known for his directorial and screen writing skills. His first film Oohalu Gusagusalade won him critical acclaim.
Srinivas has not only studied abroad but also taught there. He holds a screenwriting diploma from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has taught for a year at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in New York. His acting skills were noted in his debut movie Ashta Chamma, where he played the character of Anand. Srinivas has played several prominent characters in recent Telugu films.
Deva Katta: The
Prasthanam director has a graduate degree from a film school and has also made a documentary film about Indian students in the USA, titled
Valasa, in 2003. Before that, he finished his Master's in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University in Michigan.
The director shot to fame through
Prasthanam in the year 2010. He is also known for his dialogue writing skills and has written lines for the
Baahubali series. Some of the notable movies of the director include
Vennela and a short film
Dying To Be Me.
Ravi Babu: The
Avunu director did an advanced cinematography course at the Film and Television Workshop in Rockport, Maine. Though he quit this course in the middle, he later finished a course at the Sony Institute in San Jose, California.
His film
Nachavule won critical acclaim and three Nandi Awards. He is also known for his crime and suspense thrillers
Avunu 2, Amaravathi and others. He has acted in several roles, from villain to a comedian. The multitalented Ravi Babu is also a producer and dialogue writer.
Adivi Sesh: Most of us know Adivi Sesh as an actor in Tollywood thrillers, but he is also a director who graduated from the San Francisco State University. Though he was born in Hyderabad, he was brought up in California in the United States. Sesh made his directorial debut with
Karma: Do You Believe?, released in the year 2010. Sesh has also worked as a screenplay writer, and he wrote for
Kshanam, a blockbuster in which he played the lead. He's known to be an experimental actor who does interesting films.
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