Directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. speak about their latest hit and reveal the influential roles their respective wives play in their film making process
The juggernaut of the Telugu boys Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. continues as they taste success in the second season of The Family Man. “We’re extremely pleased with the kind of appreciation we’ve been getting; such admiration only gives us the impetus to push the envelope of filmmaking even more,” says Raj.
Interestingly, their recent Telugu release, Cinema Bandi, directed by Praveen Kandregula, became Netflix India’s most popular movie. “We’re very proud of how we’ve been working. Despite Cinema Bandi being a budget film, our passion for cinema remained the same regarding the creative aspects,” shares Krishna.
Initial days of struggle
What do these back-to-back successes mean to them? As per Raj, it proves that independent cinema is pure and unspoilt by commercialism and masala fare and is getting a lot of love. Krishna says the success the duo has been tasting reminds him of their struggling days.
“We started our careers as independent filmmakers, and life has come full circle,” adds Krishna. Despite their successes today, life was not rosy for the duo. The filmmakers reveal they faced enough criticism while making some of their films, with some questioning their faith too.
Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.
“We took risks and it worked because if it hadn’t worked then people would’ve judged. When we made big films, they’d ask why we aren’t getting into small movies. We can’t live in the fear of failure. We believe if you don’t try something new, you will never grow or explore new frontiers, and that has been our learning curve,” says Raj.
Krishna adds to Raj’s thoughts. “At times, the return on investment (ROI) on our films were challenging. But we stuck to our brand of filmmaking and now we’re seeing some success. So what we have learnt is that we cannot give up on our first failures,” he adds. “We always want to curate unique content and while there’s a risk that people may not like it initially, that’s the only way to explore.”
What lies ahead?
In the 12 years of Raj and DK’s journey, who are ‘rank outsiders’, they’ve made around 10 films. But for the filmmakers who’ve been shooting films pretty quickly, even Raj admits that just 10 films seem a little small in numbers.
“But what’s important is that people have been appreciating us as filmmakers who can deliver content in multiple formats — OTT, web series, theatrical, etc. So it’s a great team effort. People like Vijay Shankar Donkada (executive producer), and others have been like a family and integral part of our team for a long time,” he adds.
Contrasting perceptions are a familiar feature in any creative field. So, didn’t the two former engineering graduates ever have any differences? “From the beginning, we saw filmmaking as a collaborative effort, and dreamed together. Both of us complement each other. DK is technically stronger and has a great drive on the field. That gives me the freedom and space to explore new ideas,” says Raj.
While we wonder why despite hailing from Telugu backgrounds they’ve never made a Telugu film, they admit that they did come close to making one last year. “But COVID-19 messed up things. We hope to make one this year,” the duo says.
A family that makes films together…
Not many know that both Raj and Krishna’s wives form an integral part of their filmmaking team and are deeply and emotionally involved in the filmmaking process. “Shhyamali De, my wife, constantly advises me about casting,” says Raj about his wife who he says is passionate about films. “She comes from a non-filmy background, so she keeps us grounded always.”
Despite her background, Shhyamali De worked as the associate director for the 2006-Bollywood film Rang De Basanti. She's now the creative consultant for them, and chips in with her ideas too.
Krishna tells us that his wife Anuradha Sharma plays an integral role in the compnay. She worked as an associate producer for The Family Man, Cinema Bandi, and also on their upcoming projects. “Her support has been instrumental, and our personal lives are intertwined with the profession,” describes Krishna.
