Sandhya Raju
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A few minutes into Ekasekalu, a 50-minute film streaming on ETV Win, a character portraying a film producer approaches the vanity van of a star. He is abruptly stopped by the star’s assistant and informed that the actor will step out only if given the right “elevation”, referring to dialogues and shots in mainstream cinema that try to amp up the leading man’s aura. Soon, a bunch of people who have been idling on the sets come together and reel off punchlines that praise the actor. Never mind if the lines are as mundane as “box office baboon”! The caravan door is flung open, or rather forcefully blasted, to reveal an ageing superstar, nicknamed the “blasting star”. Prudhvi Raj plays the actor while Hriday Ranjan plays the director who looks on, bemused.This satire on the film industry is written by Raj Kumar Kusuma and directed by Kuchipudi dancer Sandhya Raju. Sandhya earlier produced and acted in Natyam (2021), which won the National Film Award for Best Choreography and Best Make-up Artist. Ekasekalu is a marked departure from Natyam and its focus on the classical arts. It was initially meant to be a 10-minute short film, says Sandhya. Soon after Natyam, she received acting offers. She listened to stories narrated by directors but says she wanted more clarity on how to select the right one. “That curiosity led me to read books on screenplay writing. The learning helped me break down and understand how some of the best films, across genres, were written. During this time I happened to meet Raj Kumar and listened to his story idea. It was a hilarious take on the film industry and I thought it would make for an entertaining short film. I never thought I would direct a comedy but took it up as part of a learning curve.”
