The Asian Age

Writer K.V. Aditya is set to make directoria­l debut with historical drama, Unheard

K.V. Aditya is set to make his directoria­l debut with historical drama, Unheard, set in 1905–1950

- SASHIDHAR ADIVI

“My film also depicts the perspectiv­e of the lives of people during that time, while showcasing the two battles they had to fight—one with the British and the other with the Nizams.” — K.V. Aditya

Like many poets and writers turning filmmakers, there is now an author of a best seller making his directoria­l debut.

Author K.V. Aditya, whose book Daitya Diaries was one of the best sellers on Amazon in 2018, is set to make his director debut with the film, Unheard. Tipped to be a historical period drama, the film is produced by Radhika Lavu.

We start our interactio­n with Aditya asking him why he chose to take up filmmaking, especially given the low success rate.

“I am passionate about storytelli­ng around some subjects, e.g., history, the freedom movement, etc. I’ve written several pieces on the above subjects and I feel my ideas can be transforme­d only if I direct them,” explains Aditya, who had earlier directed documentar­ies showcasing the work of USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.

“Moreover, filmmaking feels like a natural progressio­n.”

However, Aditya had made his debut into the industry in 2019, as a screenwrit­er for the film Gods of Dharmapuri. But even before that, he had a lucrative consulting career in the field of communicat­ions. Leaving behind that world for a life in showbiz must surely have been a gamble.

“It was indeed!” responds Aditya immediatel­y. “I was apprehensi­ve but I had to make that tough move, one of the toughest of my life yet. But it was my passion for storytelli­ng, which made me take the gamble. Moreover, storytelli­ng is changing, and the entry barriers are going down.”

THE HYDERABAD FACTOR

Unheard is Aditya’s understand­ing and perception of history, which is based on his 13 years of research on the freedom movement. The research, he tells us, enabled him to add a Hyderabadi perspectiv­e to the story, which is set in 1905–1950.

“Since the common man is always an unheard person, the film is narrated from his perspectiv­e and entails multiple philosophi­es of the freedom struggle,” Aditya adds. “From the stories I heard, I realised Hyderabad’s history is one of the most important aspects of the freedom movement, and in my film I’ve tried to reflect the people’s understand­ing of freedom across different walks of life then. In essence, this film captures the lives of people across every strata of society during the freedom struggle.”

There is another reason for the Hyderabad perspectiv­e to show in Aditya’s story — the storytelle­r’s romance with the city. “I was born and raised in Hyderabad, and yet hardly ever heard these stories,” he says, reminding us that although India got independen­ce in 1947, Hyderabad State was only merged in 1950 — three years after the nation was declared independen­t. “My film also depicts the perspectiv­e of the lives of people during that time,

while showcasing the two battles they had to fight — one with the British and the other with the Nizams.”

BRICKBATS AND PATS

The film, which stars Priyadarsh­i, Chandini Chowdary, Srinivas Avasarala Ajay, Baladitya and Anand Chakrapani, was shot between September and November from start to finish last year and has currently completed its post-production work.

The experience of making documentar­ies came in handy for Aditya while he made this feature film. “But I don’t know the rules of filmmaking, so I just did

what I wanted to including several workshops with the cast, etc. to get our pre-production right,” he adds. The workshop also helped the actor get the diction right for the languages — English, Urdu and Telugu — used by the actors in the film.

As with anyone trying something new, Aditya too encountere­d criticism through his filmmaking experience, all of which even dented his confidence.

“Several technician­s rejected the story and advised me against making it. But it was producer Radhika who believed in my vision. The actors who came on board also believed in the script, and I could pull this off,” signs off the filmmaker saying that.

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 ??  ?? Srinivas Avasarala with Aditya
Srinivas Avasarala with Aditya

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