Varadhi Ready to thrill

As his directorial debut ‘Varadhi’ gears up for a release, Sateesh Karthikeya speaks to HANS TALKIES about life before, during and after the film. After graduating in Khammam, director Sateesh Karthikeya came to Hyderabad in the year 2000 to pursue his filmmaking dream. Little did he know that it would take 14 years before he finally has his first release this month.“Unlike many people, I didn’t have a lot of struggle. Everything till now moved at a smooth pace,” Sateesh shares. “I did get some cinematic work like script writing. I was also part of the directorial team of ‘Ninna Nedu Repu’,” he adds.

As roping a producer for one’s debut flick is a daunting task, Satheesh states that along with donning the cap of director he wanted to helm the role of producer too. “To be frank, I wanted to produce the film myself and I approached Sri Divya with my script. After she gave a nod, things fell in place one after the other. And it was through her that I got my lead actors. Then the producers came forward to finance the film,” he recalls.

Well, that makes us wonder what attracted all of them to the script considering Sri Divya is a name to reckon in the Tamil film industry. “It’s a love story but not a regular one. From the outset it may seem like a triangular tale of love, but in reality, ‘Varadhi’ means a bridge and here one guy forms a bridge between the other two,” he explains.When the film industry is fluttered with formula based movies Satheesh chose a complicated premise for a debut!

“For me an element of thrill is the important aspect in any story. Going forward also I want to mostly work on emotional thrillers because I really relate to them,” Satheesh says.Satheesh states that though thrillers fascinate him, he isn’t game for horror thrillers. “I don’t believe that horror thrillers work. Moreover, their appeal is temporary when compared to emotional thrillers that have an easy connect with the audience,” he opines.

Like other debutant directors Satheesh is pinning all his hopes on the success of ‘Varadhi’. One can say that the director has kept his fingers crossed literally!“I definitely want the film to click but I am just looking at this as a way of making my presence felt here,” he says.“I don’t know if audiences will accept my attempt or not. But if this works out, I have the intention of making another film with the same cast again. If not, I will take a break and work on another film,” he adds.

By Pranita Jonnalagedda