Making films for Gen X

Professionalising his passion for filmmaking, Deepak Reddy shines on social media with his latest short film Manasanamaha

Deepak Reddy, who gained popularity with his directorial short film Manasanamaha, is now making a mark in the Telugu film industry.

The director had won the hearts of his Telugu audience with his sixteenminute short film, which narrates the story in reverse shots, about four months ago just as the country got into the first phase of lockdown. Actors such as Anushka Shetty and Rashmika Mandanna praised his work and the talent of this refreshing young director.

We start our interaction with the 28-year-old director, who is an electrical engineer with a Master’s degree from the University of Houston, narrating to us how he grew interested in directing movies.

“I have always been passionate towards making films. In 2013, I made a four-minute horror film, called Hide and Seek,” says Deepak. “I always wanted to completely get into directing films but then I did not know whom to contact and what I should be doing and so I decided to complete my masters first and flew abroad for it.”

Then, during one summer break in college, when Deepak got back home to India, he met a friend who wanted him to assist director Shekar Kammula for his film in which some scenes were to be shot in Texas.

“Then I went on to assist Shekhar for the movie Fidaa, after which I focused on completing my masters,” says Deepak. “But my passion towards movies was still pushing me. So I decided to come back and focus completely on directing movies. That is how my directorial journey started.”

MAKING A BIG IMPRESSION SHORTLY

Deepak’s Manasanamaha is shot in such a way that the whole story is shown in reverse. Deepak tells that he had auditioned a lot of people for the film, including 45 auditions for actresses, after which he finalised Viraj Ashwin and Drishika in the lead roles.

When the lockdown happened I thought it was the best time for people to watch the film and so I released the film on YouTube — Deepak Reddy

He then talks of the trials and tribulations of making the film. “After casting for the film, I struggled for another six months because of various issues relating to production. But once I started shooting, I completed the film in four days,” says Deepak, who had finished the film’s production and post-production work in 2019 itself but was not able to release it then. “When the lockdown happened I thought it was the best time for people to watch the film and so I released the film on YouTube.”

Since its release, Manasanamaha has brought Deepak many accolades. “I sent the film to ten film festivals, and it got recognised. Soon, I registered for other festivals as well, and I am proud to share that my short film was selected for screening by the International Sound, Film and Music Festival (ISFMF) in Croatia and then got selected for Bangalore International Film Festival.” Incidentally, while ISFMF is one of the largest film events in Europe, the film also got an Oscar nomination in the non-competitive category at the Bangalore International Film Festival — clearing some glorious feathers on the youngster’s cap.

SEEKING DIRECTIONS TO GROW

The young, budding filmmaker, who takes inspiration from old-time filmmakers, tells us how he’d love to continue taking lessons from the works of these wonderful directors.

“Stanley Kubick is my alltime favourite director and I would love to work the way he does,” says Deepak. “Apart from him I am also inspired by directors such as S.S. Rajamouli, Gautham Menon, Anjali Menon and Sukumar in India.”

The youngster also hopes to work with some of the renowned actors in the Indian cinema. “It has always been my dream to work with Prabhas, and direct him. When it comes to actresses, I hope to work with Anushka Shetty someday,” he tells us.

Deepak has many plans, starting with making a feature film next. “If everything goes well, I will release the feature film next year. I also have a couple of web series in mind, but for now, I would want to concentrate on feature films,” says the exuber