The Bunny boost

Srinivas Gavireddy, director of Raj Tarun-starrer ‘Seethamma Andaalu Ramaiyya Sitraalu’, discontinued his graduation to try his luck in the industry for he was fascinated by films since childhood.

Recalls Gavireddy, who is from Bayyavaram, Visakhapatnam, with an impish smile, “I’ve grew up watching Chiranjeevi garu’s movies. After Puri Jagannadh, who hails from a village close by, became a director, my joy had no limits and I decided to pack my bags to the industry without informing my parents.”

But little did he know that it would take nearly three years to even get an assistant director post. “I had no contacts in the industry when I landed in Krishna Nagar, Hyderabad, in 2004. I got in touch with makeup men from the area and started to develop more contacts.

I worked as an assistant to many seniors before bagging an opportunity to assist the unit of Jagapathi Babu and Srikanth-starrer ‘Nagaram’ in 2007,” he reminisces. More exposure in the industry meant that he got to work for noted faces like Madan and Darling Swamy.

However, his life took a turn when he narrated ‘Garam’ script to Allu Arjun in 2013. “He endorsed it and specially liked my timing and slang. He encouraged me and took me under his wings. I was asked to follow up aspiring directors who want to narrate a script to him.

He used to bear all my expenses,” he smiles fondly, adding, “He believes in nurturing new talent. He still listens to three scripts a day whenever he is not shooting. The stint helped me to be surer of my abilities.”

Talking about ‘Seethamma Andaalu Ramaiyya Sitraalu’ with his friend Raj Tarun whom he met during the pre-production of ‘Uyyala Jampala’, “It’s a simple, fun-filled family entertainer sprinkled with romance.

What tricks Ram (Raj Tarun) plays to win his childhood sweetheart Seetha (Arthana) is the film. I’ve penned it keeping Raj Tarun in mind,” he points out, adding, “It is set in a rural backdrop and we’ve kept it real by shooting at places like Palakollu and Bheemavaram primarily.”

With Raj Tarun on a career high with back-to-back hits, the director admits to being under pressure to deliver. “Because of his success streak, my film is riding high on expectations. But story-wise I’ve achieved what I wanted to,” he concludes confidently.