Short films often become calling cards for aspiring directors to pitch their scripts to producers. Former journalist Aditya Devulapalli went a step further. He co-wrote and directed a thriller micro drama series that is slowly making movie buffs and the film industry take note. Dhandha (business), the 29-episode Telugu micro drama series streaming on the Chai Shots app, marks Aditya’s debut as a director.The story explores the underbelly of cybercrime by following an engineering student, played by Dora Sai Teja, who joins a cyber fraud group and climbs in the ranks by raising the stakes of digital financial scams.Each episode, running a little more than two minutes, shows the transformation of the character and the cybercrime nexus. What sets the microdrama apart is its attention to detail in its storytelling and the production aesthetics that aspires to match a cinematic quality.How it all beganAditya’s story is not too different from the many engineering graduates who gravitated towards cinema over the last two decades. “I was good at studies, in fact a topper. But I did not enjoy studying engineering and quit after the first year,” Aditya reminisces. In 2018, he convinced his parents of his decision. All he wanted was a camera. “I used to attend small-scale events and take photographs.” These gigs kept him going, but he had to find a way to enter the film industry.