The curious case of Skylab space station crash and a new Telugu film

Debut director Vishvak Khanderao discusses ‘Skylab’, a fictional story that stemmed from real incidents at Karimnagar in 1979

Vishvak Khandero, the debut writer-director of the Telugu film Skylab, grew up in Telangana’s Karimnagar. As a child, he would come across people named Skylab Reddy or Skylab Raju and his curiosity was piqued. He learnt from his elders of the looming fear of NASA’s space station Skylab crashing in the region in mid-July 1979. Decades later, he wrote a fictional comedy-drama set in Bandalingampally village, with the Skylab events as the backdrop.

The film Skylab, scheduled to release in theatres on December 4, is co-produced by Nithya Menen. The ensemble cast includes Satya Dev, Rahul Ramakrishna, Vishnu Oi, Tulasi and Subbaraya Sharma, and Nithya Menen.