Hyderabad calling

An aspiring actor and a freelance trainer in corporate skills makes a series of short films on Hyderabad

“The series of episodes tries to give a picture of how a young Hyderabadi tries to convince his demanding girlfriend, describe the attitude and lifestyle of youngsters working in call centers, and of course the mimicry of popular actors”

Sudheer Goutham

An aspiring actor he is but the pull of direction was all too strong for Karthik Iyer. After working in a multinational company for years he did the inevitable- he chose to make short films on the city he loves-Hyderabad. ‘Thick Hyderabadi’, a series of short films revolves around the basic nature, attitude and life of a Hyderabadi, besides the culture of the city.

He says, “It was mainly my Hyderabadi lingo that was identified by my cousin brother Ramesh Iyer, a filmmaker, who encouraged me to do something related to Hyderabad. The culture, warmth and fun loving nature of a Hyderabadi has a lot to offer. It has many sides which are entertaining, act as a stress buster and provide a feel good factor for anyone especially for those working in stressful MNCs,” says Karthik.

Produced by Ramesh Iyer under home production Gurooji Movies, ‘Thick Hyderabadi’ so far has seven episodes that are already making the rounds in You Tube and has become popular among Hyderabadis. “Each episode of Thick Hyderabadi does not exceed five minutes in duration and the subject is completely different from the previous one,” says Karthik. The films capture the quintessential Hyderabadi. The way, mannerisms, language, attitude and lifestyle are well researched and caught on camera. There may be many films being made on Hyderabad but what makes ‘Thick Hyderabad’ different is the way in which the subject is dealt with and the short span in which it is done.

The episode on how a typical Hyderabadi responds to delayed payments when he receives a call from an executive of a call centre is worth a watch. In these days of stress and lack of time, these five minute videos come as a relief to tired souls. “The series of episodes tries to give a picture of how a young Hyderabadi tries to convince his demanding girlfriend, describe the attitude and lifestyle of youngsters working in call centers, and of course the mimicry of popular actors,” says Karthik.

Not one to ignore the rich history of Hyderabad by end of each episode, Karthik signs off by asking a question related to Hyderabad which is not well known to the denizens and the answer is given out in the next episode. The Gurooji Movies is also coming up with another short film ‘Kaiser’ that revolves around a teacher trying to help his poor students.