Watch | Directors’ Take: How director Sashi Kiran Tikka approached ‘Goodachari’ and ‘Major’ like an American indie

Watch: How director Sashi Kiran Tikka and Adivi Sesh approached ‘Goodachari’ and ‘Major’ like an American indie

The Telugu film Goodachari (2018), a coming-of-age spy action thriller, announced the arrival of a new writer-director, Sashi Kiran Tikka. He had honed his skills on the sets of Sekhar Kammula’s Leader and trod a path familiar to aspirants, filled with rejections when he set out to make his debut film. The turnaround happened when he and his friend, actor and writer Adivi Sesh, decided to collaborate. The spy thriller that doffed its hat to older Telugu spy dramas such as Gudachari 116 and Agent Gopi stood out that year, alongside other memorable films such as Brochevarevarura and Care of Kancharapalem. Goodachari was appreciated for its edge-of-the-seat narrative as well as smart production management that ensured a slick film within a limited budget. Sashi and Sesh had a similar approach for some portions of their next film, Major, the biopic of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Now writing his next film, Sashi Kiran discusses his approach to work, learning from the New York Film Academy (NYFA) and Sekhar Kammula.

Edited excerpts from the conversation:

Your debut directorial film Goodachari is an example of how a film made with a moderate budget can look richer than it is, in terms of technical finesse. How did you make every rupee count?

If you give the script of Goodachari to a producer or an executive producer and ask them to evaluate it, they are likely to say it is a ₹15 to 18 crore film. We were aware of it. But we did not have that luxury, we had to make the film within five crores. Both (Adivi) Sesh (co-writer and actor) and I went to film schools in the United States and approached our film like an American indie. We knew what expenses could be cut short; we wanted to use the resources to create situations in front of the camera rather than behind it. The sets had no hierarchy; there were no caravans, the same food was served to everyone and while filming the Himachal Pradesh portions, we all stayed in a budget hotel where a room cost ₹1000 per day.

Did you adopt similar measures for Major as well? You mentioned once that your father asked why a bunch of you were staying at your family home (in Rajahmundry) rather than checking into a five-star hotel.

We had better budgets and privileges while filming Major but we followed a similar method for the non-Taj portions. We cut expenses where we felt the need to, though not as much as for Goodachari. This film demanded a certain scale. Eight or nine sets had to be constructed at Ramoji Film City to replicate the interiors of The Taj Palace, Mumbai.

The writing of Goodachari had a lot of surprises for viewers. How did the writing collaboration between you and Sesh work?