Koratala Siva is a man with a sure method behind his madness. He’s clear on what his characters are and how they translate on screen. From the time he starts penning his script, he works his way towards an infallible emotional centre and then goes on to nurture the commercial exterior.
More on that, he adds, “Mahesh and Prabhas’s characters in both my films are strong men who possess a perspective of their own. I imagine my role models in them, give the dynamism to take individualistic decisions even as their lives revolve around their families.”
As he shifts the discussion to his leading ladies, he understands that the parts of Anushka and Richa Gangopadhyay in Mirchi were essentially the backbone of the film despite having limited screen space. In Srimanthudu , he was sure that a single female lead would do the job. “She doesn’t have a space where she only acts cute. Shruti Haasan significantly drives the essence of the film,” says the director, brushing aside any doubts if she was board to fulfil only the glamour quotient.
Being a writer too, he confesses of having an edge in understanding his characters and narrating them better. “When I started my journey in the industry, I wanted to master the art of writing a script prior to technicalities of filmmaking. Only when I thought that I’d undergone the grind as a writer enough that I began to hone my directorial skills,” explains Koratala, on his seamless transformation as a director.
He realises he’s had a longer break than necessary from Mirchi to Srimanthudu , a timeframe of nearly two years. In the same phase, one of his earlier commitments with Ram Charan was shelved before it went on to sets. “That was a mutual decision and a positive one to get back later, maybe when the time’s right. I had a commitment with Mahesh Babu, but it was a phase where Aagadu’s shoot was on too,” he clears the air about rumours surrounding script rejections by other actors.
The focus on films having financial benchmarks, especially in the wake of Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan going neck to neck in their business returns, is not something that gets to him, even as he guarantees his ability to make a film in a stipulated budget. “The best I do is to make something that will have a wider reach and with strong content. I trust on effort first and the results shall follow,” he states.
In spite of writing simple characters, Koratala is conscious of bringing freshness with respect to the casting, the locales and the cinematography. An example is the anti-stereotyping of Sathyaraj and Nadhiya in Mirchi , when their presence was only sparing in Telugu cinema and the former was going great guns in negative roles. Similar was the choice of Sampath, who’s to be seen in Srimanthudu too.
There are a host of senior actors in the film including Jagapathi Babu, Sukanya, Thulasi, Rajendra Prasad, Aamani and he says the plan to cast them only happened by chance. “Our decision to cast Jagapathi Babu was because of a part that needed a fashionable business honcho. The others too were performers, open in accepting the change in industry patterns and had the readiness to experiment. On the sets, the atmosphere was quite serene. Another reason that I fell back on them for their ability to integrate an emotional depth to their parts,” he says, adding that it’ll be injustice to call the film only a family entertainer.
Amidst this, his films have subtle messages, be it about the need for standing up for families in Mirchi or the prospect of giving back to society in Srimanthudu . Does he work in bringing this social dimension to his stories? “Everyone learns things based on experience. I strive to craft undeviating and hard hitting characters, whose firm stance may suggest a message or inspire anyone. My intention is to avoid being preachy,” he avers with assurance.
About taking forward his association with Devi Sri Prasad and maintaining a rich blend of genres in the albums, he quips, “Life is a mix of many aspects, be it fun, romance or pain, whose diversity I’d like to bring about in the music too.”
The commercial coating to his numbers aren’t apparent or on the face and he works hard to extract the variety. He justifies the same, “Rama Rama is a celebration, ‘Jaago’ takes you to an emotional high and ‘Jatha Kalise’ is about a couple bonding. Devi travelled with the script and accepted the challenge in pinning these elements together.”
Will he make it a point to break away from the family drama image in his next? He begs to differ with the typecasting as he says, “I’m open to experiment with various genres and direct newer actors too, on a less lavish canvas. Every character in a film is bound to have a family. Having said that, the way I mould them in the future will differ.”
