Director’s dream debut

It is not often that a debutant director gets to work with a veteran actor like Balakrishna but Satya Deva is one man who has got that rare opportunity. It was a “beautiful experience,” he shares in a conversation with Hans Talkies…

In 2000, Satya Deva decided that he wanted something different from life and embarked on a journey into films – which he had loved since he was young. He was lucky that his relative ex-minister Sangita Venkat Reddy knew many film personalities and he took him to veteran filmmaker Dasari Narayana Rao.

“I joined him as an apprentice and worked on six films with him. It was from him that I learnt the craft of filmmaking. Even today, I am in regular contact with him,” shares the director who will see the release of his debut directorial venture, ‘Lion’, starring superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna, on May 14.

When quizzed if there are any pre-release jitters, he replies nonchalantly, “I don’t know why everyone keeps asking me this question! To be frank I am quite relaxed. Maybe that’s because I am confident about how the film has turned out and even more confident about how I have shown Balakrishna onscreen.”

But the journey to his first ever release wasn’t a bed of roses, he re eveals. “Seven years ago, I decided that I need to begin on my own and started meeting actors. I narrated my script to the likes of Bunny, NTR and Prabhas – they all liked what they heard.

But things never materialised because they had an apprehension about working with a debutant and I totally concur with their viewpoint. I hadn’t proved myself yet and that definitely was necessary,” he recalls.

There were times when people suggested that he start off with a small film but Satya Deva wasn’t ready for that. He put in his point, “That’s not my style. I can only visualise a story which is big and requires a star hero. I like the big canvas and commercial cinema and that’s the reason I like director Shankar’s work.

“And then I want to ensure all my films have a message. A film director is a person with great responsibility. What he presents onscreen has the ability to influence the masses and I want to make sure that no wrong signals are given though my films. And in the case of ‘Lion’, Balakrishna is not just a hero but also a political leader – a man with a responsibility and I had to keep that in mind.”

One wonders how Balakrishna gave him a nod. “I don’t know! He probably believed in me and maybe liked my approach towards the story. Whatever it is, it was a delight collaborating with him. I had first approached him six years ago but things finally fell in place now.

“He has this childlike enthusiasm about his work. When you narrate a script, he is willing to spend hours together to listen to it and will do so with great concentration. I have seen actors who give you 10 minutes or half hour for the same.”

The best thing about Balayya, Satya Deva points out, is that he can be easily moulded into any character. “Today, it is very tough to find actors who can play heavy characters. And I think in that sense he stands out because he is the best for those kind of roles,” he states, signing off.

By Pranita Jonnalagedda