After a 6-year sabbatical, the director is coming up with a crime comedy, ‘Dilwala’, starring Naresh Agastya.
Director Veerabhadram Chowdary is back to filmmaking after a career gap of about 6 years. (Supplied)
Director Veerabhadram Chowdary, undoubtedly, is influenced by his mentor-director EVV Satyanarayana. He worked as a co-director in at least four of EVV’s films.
Later, he debuted as a director in 2011 with Allari Naresh-Ritu Barmecha’s Aha Naa Pellanta. He followed it up with more comedies: Sunil-Isha Chawla’s Poola Rangadu (2012), Nagarjuna-Richa Gangopadhyay’s Bhai (2013), and Aadi-Namitha Pramod’s Chuttalabbai (2016).
Now, over six years later, he is coming up with Naresh Agastya (of Senapati fame)’s Dilwala. This, too, is a comedy.
In a chat with South First, the director talks about movies, the reason for his career break, the OTT space, and a lot more.
When inquired about the long sabbatical from movies, Veerabhadram Chowdary clarified that it was unintentional. “It happened due to various reasons. I was supposed to direct Dr Rajasehkar. But I had to abandon the project when he turned Covid-positive. Since it won’t suit other heroes, I kept waiting.”
Though he approached Aadi Saikumar, the film did not materialise. So, he started working on a new script which finally took off. He believes Covid-19 came as a blessing in disguise for filmmakers.
Director Veerabhadram Chowdary explaining a scene to the cast on the sets of ‘Dilwala’. (Supplied)
“We are now thinking twice about the content. During the lockdowns, people consumed a lot of World Cinema and that’s keeping us on our toes. We stopped doing regular films and are trying to bring some freshness to the storylines. Formula stories are a big no-no now,” he guffawed.
“Despite all this, I did bounce back. My other project will go on the floors soon. I am already looking for a hero.”
His forthcoming film Dilwala is a crime comedy, a genre that’s the forte of the director. The protagonist, played by Naresh Agastya, is an unemployed youth who gets entangled in a murder case.
The movie showcases how he proves his innocence by seeking help from Rajendra Prasad, and how Swetha Awasthi (of Merise Merise fame) becomes a catalyst in his journey.
Dilwala‘s dialogues are written by Shankar who earlier worked with the 2021-released blockbuster hit Jathi Ratnalu. Amith of Zombie Reddy fame is the cinematographer. Anup Reubens is the music director.
The film completed almost 80 per cent of the shoot and the duration has been locked for two hours.
Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly difficult for directors to bag a movie if the previous film was a disaster. Veerabhadram Chowdary concurs that even star heroes have become choosy of late and are giving dates only if a filmmaker delivers a hit.
This only means that more money will be pumped into a project. “More the money invested in a film, the bigger the risk of recovery. But with OTT, the scene is different,” he pointed out.
The director noted that OTT platforms turned out to be a boon for filmmakers who are looking to make small-budget movies.
Director Veerabhadram Chowdary with actor Naresh Agastya on the sets of ‘Dilwala’. (Supplied)
“Every actor — big or small — is doing four or five films a year. No one is sitting idle post-pandemic. Thanks to OTT, directors stopped waiting for the availability of big and medium-range heroes. They are readily signing newcomers and actors with minimal experience,” he observed.
Makers who are tight on budgets and are not interested in theatrical releases are going for digital releases. Further, the films can be dubbed into many languages to get more reach.
Talking about the changes in filmmaking, Veerabhadram asserted that cost control became crucial in film production, post-pandemic.
“Not all filmmakers are going for heavy action scenes, group dances, lavish sets and padding (comedians/junior) artists these days. Even the audience is fine with montage songs now. All this cut down the production cost by around ₹4 crores!”
Similarly, senior character artists used to get remunerations in lakhs per day. But now, makers are not paying for flight tickets and hotel stays. Instead, preference is being given to local actors.
“While shooting for Dilwala in Visakhapatnam, I roped in 15 local artists out of 50-60 people who gave auditions. Visakhapatnam is a cost-friendly place to shoot a film, thanks to the beaches and other scenic locations. We can even visit interiors places like Araku, which only help reduce unnecessary costs,” he explained.
Director Veerabhadram Chowdary. (Supplied)
Veerabhadram Chowdary believes that content is king in films.
Citing the recent superhit film Writer Padmabhushan, he said a lead actor (Suhas) who doesn’t look great (like the star heroes) but is immensely talented fitted the bill and carried the movie on his shoulders.
“Director Teja dished out successful films like Chitram and Jayam with newcomers. Most of the money was spent on marketing and publicity in those days, while the content remained the king. If the story is strong and the artists are talented, the benefits are limitless,” he pointed out.
In Vishwak Sen’s Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam (2022), an actress who delivered successive flops was picked for the lead role and the second lead was a newcomer.
“However, the latter made a strong impact on the audiences. She signed a three-film deal with a big production house soon after the movie’s release. Many such films don’t make noise yet hit the target in their inimitable style,” Veerabhadram said and underlined the need to adapt to the changing trends.
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