Sasi Kiran is making her debut with Saheba Subramanyam. Not many people know that Sasi is the daughter of popular comedian M.S. Narayana.
So far, she has never used his name to land a project nor has she ever asked her father to recommend her. “Since childhood, I wanted to be recognised as an individual and I did not want to depend on my family to get a chance,” says Sasi.
She completed her B.Sc in Bheemavaram and then got married to a person of her parents’ choice. “I got married when I was 18,” she says adding that she decided to separate from her husband after two children were born as her life was not easy.
“It has always been a struggle, but I have never been dejected. Seeing the direction my life was taking, I decided to stand on my own feet.
So I started looking for work. I have also started learning about filmmaking and television. I believe that once we work hard and sincerely, our talent will definitely be noticed,” she says.
Initially, since her children were very young and she wanted to spend a lot of time with them, she did not try for films.
With some training in multimedia she joined a company where she worked for a few months but moved on soon feeling that she had to do much more than that.
She then worked in television and directed a game show for a Telugu channel. “I tried my hand at television so that I could spend time with my kids,” says Sasi.
Now, her elder daughter is studying Intermediate and the second daughter is in Class IX.
“Learning from my struggles, I decided to ensure that my children grow up as strong individuals. Today my kids feel proud when they look at me,” says Sasi.
Sasi’s father M.S. Narayana, a lecturer, was very active in the field of theatre. “In childhood, I saw many students come home for rehearsals.
So it’s not just the influence of my father in films, the exposure that I had during childhood has also had its effect,” says Sasi about her interest in films and television.
M.S. Narayana is now popular as an actor, but he wanted to be a writer.
Talking about her film debut, she says, the producer wanted to introduce a woman director with this film. “Some of my friends suggested my name,” she says.
The producer first approached her father, who had his own doubts, but agreed because it was a remake film.
Her father warned her that direction was no easy task. “I convinced him that I was capable of directing a film.
I learnt many techniques from my friends who shot several short films. Also the television experience helped me a lot,” says she.
Saheba Subramanyam is a remake of a Malayalam film. She says, “This is a love story between a Muslim girl and a Hindu boy.
It is a remake and we have changed the story a little bit to suit a Telugu setting. We were to shoot in Bheemili but heavy rains forced us to go to Kerala.”
She is introducing Dilip and Priyal Gor as the lead pair in this film. “We conducted a six-month workshop for the actor as he is new and I am also new,” she says.
Actress Priyal has experience in the field as she has acted in few serials and ads.
She also created a special role for her father’s character in this film. “I was nervous when faced with the task of directing my father.
Once the initial nervousness wore off, I did well. He didn’t say anything about my work, but when he went home he told my mother that I did a good job,” says Sasi.
She only took her father’s help to promote the film. Sasi is also ready with a couple of stories. “After this film’s release, I will begin the search for producers for my stories,” she says.
Sasi believes that many stories unfold in our society and surroundings every day. “I want to make films inspired by society,” she says.
When asked about why women directors are not seen in Tollywood she says, “Many girls are eager to come, but their parents do not agree because of several misconceptions about the industry.
My father is in the industry, so I had no such limitations. In the coming few years, I am confident that the industry will see many more women directors,” she says.
