In the decade that she has worked in the film industry, Rama Devi has been a stylist, designer, chief associate director, production designer and even lyricist with her upcoming film, Maaya. Since her first film, Show, to the upcoming Maaya, Rama Devi has come a long way. She says, “I remember director Neelakanta would write his stories and I would visualise the characters very well. For example, I would show him a photo from a magazine and ask him if the character looked like that. I started off with giving him inputs like this.”
Juggling so many titles is not easy and Rama explains how it all began. “There is a funny story behind that. While working on Show, we were low on people, so I worked as the associate director, and even took care of the styling. I guess that in a way set the ball rolling.” Rama Devi has worked only with director Neelakanta, she also happens to be his sister-in-law. “The creative freedom that I get with Neelakanta is something I don’t think I’ll get anywhere, so I haven’t really thought of working with anyone else.”
“The little things that people take for granted, for example, the decor of the heroine’s room, etc. is all done by me. Not many think about it, but from things like a vase to the colour of the room, all these help in making a character more real,” she says when talking about her work as a production designer. As part of her work, Rama personally ensures that things are sorted. “I shop for the decor of the sets etc. I personally look into things,” she says.
So what was the biggest challenge that she faced in her career? “My biggest challenge was while working in Maaya. The hero, Harshvardhan, plays a designer in the film and there is a scene where he hosts a fashion show. That scene was quite hectic. Each model had close to 9-10 changes in the scene. I also had to discuss with the art director the look of the stage, costumes etc. If the shoot would get prolonged we would end up spending more than the budget.”
With shooting for each movie lasting close to six months, and with hectic schedules every day, how does she manage time with her family? “I’m lucky to have an understanding family. But on my part, I make sure to be there for them every evening. After I get home, my time is only for my family,” says Rama.
As part of her work, Rama has also worked with Genelia, Srikanth, Sivaji, Venu and even Manjula, who happens to be Mahesh Babu’s sister. Having tried her hand in almost every aspect of filmmaking, ask her if she plans to direct and she says, “Yes I do, but for now I’m concentrating on Maaya; after it’s release, I plan to take up direction.”
