The long wait

Writer-turned-director Rajasimha Tadinada opens up about how K Viswanath gave his first job in the industry, working under Jayanth, Paruchuri Brothers, waiting endlessly for his directorial debut and how Nithya Menen agreed to be a part of his film

In the industry since 1996, writer Rajasimha Tadinada is finally debuting as a director with Sundeep Kishan-starrer ‘Okka Ammai Thappa’. Though he has been doing some notable work for really long, it was the dialogues he penned for Gona Gannareddy, Allu Arjun’s character in ‘Rudhramadevi’, that catapulted him to instant recognition. In a candid chat, he shares his journey so far…

He was a professional ventriloquist when Kalatapaswi K Viswanath first spotted him. “He happened to see me perform at the Madras Telugu Academy Ugadi Puraskarulu in 1996 and later asked me to train Venkatesh in ventriloquism (the actor was playing a ventriloquist in Viswanath’s ‘Chinnabbayi’).

I managed to strike an instant bond with Venky and it was he who called me to associate with ‘Preminchukundam Raa’. His brother Suresh Babu asked me to come up with a scene for the romantic drama. I wrote the part where Venky goes to a fever-struck Anjala Zaveri’s home. It was a funny sequence and impressed by it I was asked to pen another sequence as well,” he recalls fondly.

Noticing his talent, the film’s director, Jayanth C Paranjee, took Rajasimha under his wings. What followed were films like ‘Bavagaru Bagunnara’ and ‘Takkari Donga’. “I was slowly beginning to understand the importance of a script at this juncture, post which I joined Paruchuri Brothers,” he reminisces, adding, “While working with them was a huge boost for my abilities, they made me very comfortable otherwise as well.

They purchased a bike for me within 10 days of my joining them. Besides paying me close to Rs 20,000 per month, which was a rarity early last decade, they even gifted me a high-end computer for my marriage.” But that sojourn ended when he got a call from mercurial filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. “I came out thinking that I would get that big break.

Varma was planning a time-travel film with Nagarjuna. I worked on the script and screenplay for seven months without even being paid. But one fine day, Varma coolly said he can’t make the film because of budget issues. It was a bolt from the blue,” he sighs, adding that he later joined Dil Raju and worked closely with Bommarillu Bhaskar.

After working in a handful of Raju’s films, Rajasimha decided to turn director in 2007. While his initial effort a film with producer ML Kumar Chowdary’s son failed to take form despite him spending seven months on the project, he later turned attention to write ‘Okka Ammai Thappa’. “It was inspired from a two hour traffic jam in Hyderabad which I experienced,” he reveals, with a smile.

Though he found a reputed production house interested to fund it, much to his dismay, it didn’t happen. He spent another seven months with the production house. “Since I was penniless, I went back to write for films like ‘Oye’, ‘Jhummandi Nadam’ and ‘Anaganaga O Dheerudu’ to support my family,” he sighs, adding that in 2010 he decided to produce ‘Okka Ammai Thappa’ on his own with Varun Sandesh.

“I took money from my friends, sold off my wife’s jewellery for production costs. I even shot a portion of the film but had to call it off as the satellite market had come down drastically. It was a bad decision.” When Sundeep Kishan heard t­he story of ‘Okka Ammai Thappa’ in 2012, he was so intrigued that he wanted to take it on to the floors right away.

However, “It was a repeat of the same story. The producer backed off after I invested a good amount of time,” he points out gleefully. Around the same time, director Sriwass happened to hear the story and taking a strong liking to it, he paid Rs 1 lakh as a token amount to Rajasimha to part with it. And the writer reluctantly gave away his labour of love.

“Nonetheless, as his ‘Loukyam’ did well, he bagged an offer to direct Balakrishna. He couldn’t do my script. And a top star heard the story later and was ready to pay more than what Sriwass had offered me. It was at this juncture that it occurred to me that the story must have some vigour as everyone was after it,” he exults, adding that he made a firm decision to make it by himself.

“Sundeep was eager to do it and we finally got Anji Reddy to produce it. The primary reason for me to have gone ahead with Reddy was that he would not involve in the creative process. Midway into the film we did go through some financial problems but cameraman Chota K Naidu’s influence, coupled with my contacts helped.”

Nithya Menen is cast opposite Sundeep Kishan in the romantic drama which unfolds on Madhapur flyover in Hyderabad. Ask him how he managed to convince the usually picky actress and he responds, “It just took a single narration for her to be convinced but she did want me to narrate the whole screenplay the next day.

I gave her a four-hour narration and she immediately said she is on board. Some 10-15 heroines had heard the narration but there were several issues ranging from remuneration to their role for them not to sign the film but Nithya saw it in a different light. She said it’ll be a new film for the industry and she should be a part of it.”