Director Srikanth Odela is gearing up for the release of “The Paradise”, his second film with Nani after their successful collaboration on “Dasara”. The filmmaker says the upcoming film draws from a mix of real incidents, characters and fiction, with several elements inspired by his childhood and the places where he grew up.
Speaking about the story of “The Paradise”, Srikanth Odela said the film has three key elements: incidents, characters and fiction.The director also revealed that one of the film’s emotional elements comes from his childhood. His mother had wished for a baby girl, but he was their only child. As a result, she dressed him like a girl and even styled his hair in braids.
“My mother used to dress me in gowns and even braid my hair. I had braids until I was in the second standard. I took that experience from my childhood. There is a lot of emotion behind it as well,” he said.
Odela’s childhood surroundings have also had a major influence on the world created in “The Paradise”. He grew up in Godavarikhani and says several incidents he witnessed around Godavarikhani and Adilabad became references while developing the film.
“The revolution and some of the characters in the film were inspired by the Godavarikhani region where I was born and brought up. I took incidents that happened between the Adilabad and Godavarikhani regions. I also lived in the Secunderabad railway quarters. I designed the story like something that could happen in the slum next to the railway quarters. The incidents I witnessed in my hometown somehow connected with the story again,” he explained.
Learning from “Dasara”
Srikanth Odela made his directorial debut with Nani-starrer “Dasara”, which went on to become a blockbuster. However, the director says the promotional material had created a different perception about the film.
“My intention with ‘Dasara’ was to make a good drama. But after watching the promotional content, people expected it to be a very mass film, almost like ‘KGF’. I received feedback that some were disappointed on that front. But the film became a blockbuster,” he said.
With “The Paradise”, the filmmaker says he wanted to give audiences the kind of experience they are expecting from him.
“We wanted to bring ‘The Paradise’ with the intention of giving the audience what they want,” he added.
Odela shares a close relationship with Nani and credits the actor for giving him an opportunity to establish himself as a filmmaker. “Nani and I talk like brothers. He gave me a life as a director. I will always be grateful to him. I tell him everything,” he said.
No reshoots for “The Paradise”
“The Paradise” took longer to shoot than initially planned, but Odela clarified that the delay was not because of changes to the content or extensive reshoots.
He said the film was originally planned to be completed in 160 days, but the shoot eventually took 170 days.
“There was some delay in shooting the way I wanted to shoot it, and that increased the number of shooting days. When you set a target for a particular day and cannot finish it, you have to adjust everyone’s dates again. That was the only reason. There was no issue with the content and we did not do any reshoots for this film,” he explained.
The director also stated that he followed the bound script he had prepared before beginning production.
“We made the film according to the bound script that I had initially prepared,” he added.
Mohan Babu and Nani’s Characters
Veteran actor Mohan Babu plays a crucial role in “The Paradise”. Odela says the interaction between Mohan Babu’s and Nani’s characters will be one of the interesting aspects of the film.
“Mohan Babu’s character is very important. The face-off between Mohan Babu’s and Nani’s characters will be very interesting,” he said.
Sampoornesh Babu will be seen as the protagonist’s friend, and Odela promises a different performance from the actor.
Six songs in the film
“The Paradise” will feature six songs, including short musical pieces. Odela also revealed the inspiration behind one of the folk-based songs composed by Anirudh Ravichander.
The director recalled listening to the folk song “Yesha Nagula” regularly during his school days.
“When I was in seventh standard, they used to play ‘Yesha Nagula’ every day in the auto. When I told Anirudh about the idea, he created something wonderful. I had actually wanted to use that song in ‘Dasara’, but it worked out in this film. I love folk songs,” he said.
Odela also shares a strong creative bond with Anirudh and says their collaboration was built on mutual understanding.
“I can clearly convey what I want to tell Anirudh. We worked together like two friends who are creating something together,” he said.
From Watching “Jagadam” to Working With Sukumar
Odela’s journey into filmmaking began when he was still a student.
“When I was in ninth standard, ‘Jagadam’ was released. I watched it in a theatre and decided that I wanted to make films. After my intermediate, I came to Hyderabad and went directly to meet Sukumar,” he recalled.
Odela said he spent years trying to get an opportunity to work with the filmmaker.
“My job was to wake up in the morning and stand near his gate. After four years, he asked me to make a short film and bring it to him. He saw it and took me on board. I later worked with him on ‘Rangasthalam’,” he said.
He also acknowledged the influence of several prominent Telugu filmmakers on his work, including Krishna Vamsi, S. S. Rajamouli, Sukumar, Sekhar Kammula and Puri Jagannadh.
“All these filmmakers have had a strong influence on me,” Odela said.
Chiranjeevi film confirmed
After the release of “The Paradise”, Odela intends to take a break before moving on to his next project.
“I want to take a rest for around three months after ‘The Paradise’ releases. My brain needs some rest. I told Chiranjeevi garu the same thing as well,” he said.
The director also confirmed that his film with megastar Chiranjeevi will definitely happen.
“The film with Chiranjeevi garu will happen 100 percent,” he said.
