Internet was my guru: Akki Vishwanth Reddy

Joining the ranks of software-turned-directors like Deva Katta, Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK and Raj Pippala is Akki Vishwanth Reddy. Awaiting the release of his maiden flick, ‘Adavi Kaachina Vennela’, this Cuddapah-born filmmaker has also funded the project, a drama with oodles of action. Direction was his objective ever since engineering. “I write a lot and when I narrated some scripts to my friends during my engineering in Nellore, they spotted a story teller in me and encouraged me. I wanted to pack my bags to Hyderabad to narrate scripts, but fearing that directors might tinker with my work, I thought of directing my own stories,” he recalls.

However, immediately after engineering, he got a job and like many film enthusiasts, he succumbed to family pressure. “Had I didn’t have a job at hand, I would have pursued filmmaking in Hyderabad, but it wasn’t the case. My first posting was in Banglore where I started working as a camera engineer for smart phones. My work also led me to visit places like Korea, China and Sweden.”

After eight years of software exposure and with a feeling that he has earned enough, he decided to come back to Hyderabad to realise his dream. With no prior experience in filmmaking, he has embarked on his journey to make ‘Adavi Kaachina Vennela’. It was kind of tricky, he admits. “I never got a chance to assist anyone nor did I have some great film schools to learn nuances of filmmaking when I was in Korea. Internet was my guru; it was the platform where I honed filmmaking skills. Since I was confident and had clarity in my vision, I could pull off the film,” he chuckles.

Since filmmaking is more a practical thing, did learning on the internet help him? “Theoretically, it helped me but practically I advise enthusiasts to get that first hand experience before they make a feature film,” he responds. “If you assist someone, it helps you understand the budget modalities which in turn help you to shoot the film in the allotted budget. I went over budget because I had no prior experience in this field.” So, was production difficult or direction? “Being a director I need to be truthful and being a producer I need to be sensible. However, truth makes no sense; it was difficult to balance both,” he smiles.

Talking about the film, he says it’s about a guy (Arvind Krishna) who is in desperate need of ‘something’. “That ‘something’ is the suspense,” he avers. “In the process, the people who he meets, people who try to influence him and people who suffered at his hands, elevate the drama. Most people around him assume that he is after gold.”

Shot predominantly in Kompally area of Hyderabad, the film also boasts 26 minutes of VFX. “It was the need of the hour,” he insists. “Since I couldn’t shoot at Argentina Waterfalls, Great Wall of China and USS Ronald Reagan super-carrier ship, I had to recreate them on effects. I’m sure people will not differentiate them with original shots,” he signs off.