Hyderabad: Amala Akkineni, Director of the Annapurna College of Film and Media (ACFM), launched Shiva Rupaya Vishnave: Part One – The Warhorse and The Dancer, the debut novel by S.S. Krishna Kiriti, an alumnus of the 2018 batch of ACFM, at a special event held at the Shiva Theatre, Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad.
Published by Mayasabha Publications, the novel marks the beginning of The Shiva Rupaya Vishnave Trilogy, a literary-historical journey spanning eight centuries of South Indian history. The launch brought together students, alumni, and guests of Annapurna College of Film and Media to celebrate the literary debut of one of its alumni.
Three years after war has ended, Emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya returns to celebrate Vijayanagara. The kingdom is prosperous, the battles are won, and history appears settled. Yet the emperor finds himself unable to escape the weight of memory. When physicians, priests, and every conventional remedy fail him, a dancer from the village of Kuchipudi offers an unusual cure:
A story.
The tale journeys backward through eight centuries of South Indian history, following kings, warriors, sculptors, philosophers, priests, dancers, wandering tribes, and ordinary people whose choices unknowingly contribute to the creation of a God.
Part One: The Warhorse and The Dancer is the first volume of a reverse-chronological trilogy exploring faith, memory, inheritance, political power, loyalty, betrayal, and the human consequences of belief. Rather than beginning with origins, the trilogy begins with consequences and moves steadily backward toward the moment everything began.
Written in English and rooted in Telugu cultural and historical traditions, the novel combines literary fiction, historical fiction, mythology, and philosophical inquiry within the majority world of the 11th and 12th century including the parts of 8th and 15th centuries and the wider history of South India.
A unique feature of the novel is an original song written by the author, composed by Mani Sharma, and sung by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, accessible through a QR code within the book as part of the reading experience.
S.S. Krishna Kiriti is a Hyderabad-based author and Telugu film screenwriter. He holds a Master’s degree in Film and Media from Annapurna International School of Film and Media and has worked as a writer and assistant director in Telugu cinema.
Shiva Rupaya Vishnave: Part One – The Warhorse and The Dancer is his debut novel.
He writes in English while drawing deeply from Telugu cultural, historical, and literary traditions. He is the founder of Mayasabha Publications and retains all publishing, translation, adaptation, and audiovisual rights to his work.
