Exclusive: Nani didn’t know I was Sukumar’s assistant when he signed ‘Dasara’, says Srikanth Odela

Q. Where are you from? How did you develop an interest in cinema?

A. I’m a native of Peerlapally near Godavarikhani, Telangana. We shot Dasara at my place.

Srikanth Odela assisted director Sukumar in ‘Rangasthalam’ and ‘Pushpa’. (Supplied)

I have been interested in cinema since childhood. I would go to theatres along with my father and uncles. My father kept telling me that I should study to be an engineer and visit the US.

I did BCom (because my father insisted) and then worked as assistant director in Sukumar’s team for Nannaku Prematho. It was shot in London but I couldn’t visit it as I had no passport.

So, I handled the pre-production and post-production work here. I learnt proper work only during the making of Rangasthalam.

Q. How did you bag a place in director Sukumar’s team?

A. Well, none recommended me to Sukumar. I stood in front of his house from morning (4 am) till night for three-four years, come rain or shine.

One day, Sukumar asked me why I was hanging around and I told him about my dream. He asked me to come up with a concept for a short film.

But, since I lacked any knowledge and wisdom in filmmaking, he roped me in as an assistant director for Ram Charan’s Rangasthalam.

🔥 pic.twitter.com/W40z5iU3Cx

— Nani (@NameisNani) March 3, 2023

Q. So, you learnt filmmaking on the sets?

A. I didn’t have the time to observe Sukumar’s shot-making and filmmaking skills.

I was assigned the job of handling costumes. By the time I wrapped my work at 10 am and reached the sets, I would miss out on all the important aspects of the pre-shooting process. Everything felt like Greek and Latin and I wouldn’t understand anything.

Filmmaker Srikanth Odela. (Supplied)

But then, the pandemic came as a blessing in disguise for me. I studied a lot of books on filmmaking.

It was during the lockdown that I narrated a story to Nani and he told me to come up with a demo video.

I simply wrote a scene and gave it to a cinematographer who shot it and produced a video. Frankly, I didn’t like it because it lacked depth.

I still feel like I should have called the shots then, but Nani liked the video. Nevertheless, I am happy with my progress and Dasara‘s output.

Q. What happened next? Why did you name the film Dasara?

A. Nani came to know that I was Sukumar’s assistant only six months after he okayed the project. When he asked me why I didn’t reveal it, I said I thought it was unnecessary. Moreover, he didn’t ask for my background.

Well, that’s how Nani is. If he likes a story and is convinced that a director can pull it off, the actor doesn’t bother about the background.

As regards Dasara, it means victory of good over evil. The teaser has a violent shot and many found it to be raw. But then, it was just one scene and one violent shot.

Actor Nani in ‘Dasara’. (NameisNani/Twitter)

The movie is an outcome of my imagination; it is about my village and a real-life incident that happened there.

In a nutshell, Dasara is the story of friends and one-upmanship among gangs. Because of the gaps in shooting, there was a delay in the release. But I won’t reveal much. All I can say is we’re excited about the project.

Q. Tell us more about Nani’s role.

A. Nani’s character Dharani is born into a family that takes care of cattle. Nani understood the character’s background and liked it to the core. That’s why he is on board.

He also remarked that no one ever visualised him in such a role or offered him one like it.

This is my first film and marks the maiden venture of my 10-member team of assistant directors. We were all in perfect sync.

Nani gave me complete freedom to choose the team and I picked those who would understand my vision. Only the co-director was suggested by Nani.