‘Brahma Anandam’ has great emotional depth: RVS Nikhil

The talk of the town is the movie Brahma Anandam — after all, features the king of comedy, Brahmanandam, and his son Raja Goutham in the lead roles. Though the star power is undeniably massive in this comedy-drama, what makes this movie a true hit is the vision and direction. The person behind this is director RVS Nikhil, who has an exclusive conversation with CE about his journey, his experience on working with the legend, and more.

Excerpts

How was it working with the king of comedy?

It was actually overwhelming and surreal — the beauty of Brahmanandam garu is that he understands how the person in front of him is feeling and tries to push them forward and motivates them. Whenever I was a little stressed and began to overthink, I used to get his support. Working with him was easy.

What can we see in this film?

The film itself is not about Brahmanandam garu; rather, the protagonist is named Brahmanandam, and his grandfather is Anand Murthy. Everyone talks about Brahmanandam’s comedy but he is a fantastic actor in every way. When he gets emotional in the film, we get emotional too. The fun is already there because he stars in it, but the film also has strong emotional depth. The characters are very natural and the fun is organic. You will want to cry at the end of the movie!

Tell us about your journey as a director.

My career started with a small film for Usha Kiran Movies. After that, I worked in TV serials as co-director and director. I was an associate director for RGV (Ram Gopal Varma) garu. Working with him helped me understand that every filmmaker needs an individual personality and every movie has to be a fresh piece. I am very happy; as a writer, I am proud of myself, and as a director, I am super satisfied.

If given a chance, would you choose anything over being a writer and director?

It is tough to do so; the writer saves the director and the director complements the writer. Both are very important for me.

Who has inspired you to be what you are right now?

Honestly, I don’t know who has inspired me. When I was around seven years old, I just wanted to get into movies and don’t know why. When I was 9, I decided that I wanted to become a director.

Has it been difficult for you to work in this industry?

There are struggles and hardships but I don’t think they are painful. They are needed for a person to become strong. If struggles weren’t a part of my life, I don’t think I would be where I am or that I could have handled a huge cast. Hardships shaped my mindset and made me stronger.

Who is the best person that you have worked with?

For the movie Brahma Anandam, the best person to work with was everyone! Whether it was Raja Goutham garu, Vennela Kishore garu, or Brahmanandam garu, they all had a big impact on me and made me stronger. All of them acted well and helped me too. Kishore was a delight to work with and always partook in constructive discussions. In fact, people have been there with me all along, like Sandeep, who is a director of photography, and Srujan, who is the music director of the movie.

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up?

That feeling was never there in my life because I love what I do.

(Story by Shreya Veronica)