Cinema is everything for debutant Ramachandra Ragipindi, who is awaiting the release of his erotic thriller, Dorakuna Ituvanti Seva (DIS), on January 1, 2022.
He grew up watching commercial films and admiring the work of director Suresh Krissna. “When Suresh Krissna’s Baasha (1995) was released, something stirred in me and I felt my interest lies only in film direction. I worked as a journalist and have directed a few crime shows for a television channel. My stint as a reporter has benefited me to choose interesting stories which have much depth and follow a certain structure,” says Ramachandra.
Ask what made him write this film? He reveals, "A newspaper article inspired me to write the script of DIS, which sheds light on the theme of an extra-marital affair. The film discusses marriage, morality, and more. It also captures the fact that people are taking the freedom to do anything and there is nothing to hold them back from entering into an extramarital affair."
The newcomer opines that films dealing with extra-marital affairs are the least explored genre in Telugu cinema. "We have seen many Hindi films that depict love outside marriage. Directors Mahesh Bhatt, Madhur Bhandarkar, and Karan Johar are the masters in narrating such stories. However, we don't come across too many Telugu films with such stories and this novelty has prompted me to take up this project."
DIS features Sandeep Pagadala, Navya Raj, and Venky Dhadbanjan in the lead roles. It took Ramachandra six months to finalise the cast. “Sandeep studied filmmaking and acting course in Australia. He wanted to become a director and came to our office to narrate his script to a young hero. It was then I met him and offered him this film. Navya Raj is a Telugu girl and a model from Visakhapatnam. I chanced upon her photographs and approached her. And Venky came on board after giving an audition. All of them have spent a few months in workshops and completed the film in around a month,” reveals the director.
Ramachandra says the title is a metaphor for an unexpected situation all three characters grapple with. He points out that the story is narrated from the perspective of the lead characters. "I have brought in real-life observations and have written the story in such a way that each character would have a chance to explain their point of view. I felt it wouldn't be ideal to put the woman or one of the two men in the forefront and hence decided to showcase how each one of them would feel,” he explains.
What’s next? “I have two scripts in mind — a rustic sports-drama, and a biopic written keeping in mind a popular young actor," he concludes.