The trend is certainly changing in Tollywood. Several youngsters, albeit with a film background, opt to take up the role of assistant director, before they foray into acting.
Nandamuri Balakrishna’s son Mokshagna is just one example. While he is all set for a debut next year, he has begun working as assistant director to Krish Jagarlamudi, the director of Gautamiputra Satakarni, in which Balakrishna is the lead actor.
There are others too. Says popular actor Brahmaji, about his son Sanjay, who wishes to debut as actor soon, “Yes, he told me that he wants to become an actor. When I shared the news with my good friend and director Krishna Vamsi, he immediately asked to join him as assistant director in his current film Nakshatram.”
Adding that this is not something new, he affirmed, “In Bollywood, anyone choosing acting as a career has to first work as assistant director, so young actors from Tollywood are doing the same.”
Among the few good actors in Tollywood’s current generation are Raj Tarun and Nani, who worked as assistant directors for a few films. In fact, Nani started his career as a technician and not an actor.
“I started my career as assistant director and it actually helped me become a good actor. I am not against joining an acting school, but I personally feel that working for a film gives you the opportunity to closely observe technical details,” says Nani, who never went to an acting school before his debut. He advises all the youngsters to work in other departments of filmmaking before starting out as actors.
This was not the trend earlier when film stars like Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Balakrishna, and others, made their debut. Stars like Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, Jr NTR, Allu Arjun and Ram Charan went to acting schools.
However, Allu Arjun’s brother Allu Sirish, worked closely in most films produced by his father before he took up acting a few years ago. “While I was working on the Hindi film, Ghajini, I interacted closely with Aamir (Khan). He taught me so much. He involves all the key members in major decisions and is really a team player. It was one of the best learning experiences of my life,” says Allu Sirish, who had also enrolled in an acting school later.
“Acting schools mainly correct diction, expressions and importantly, (help overcoming) camera fear. But being practically involved in the making of a film helps.”
“When I approached a few directors for a chance as an assistant director, the trend had not set in and they wanted only experienced people. I then went to Mumbai where I got a job as an assistant for Hindi films including Ek Villain,” says young actor Shreyan Kapoor, son of actress, Jayasudha, who recently made his debut. He added that enrolling in an acting school coupled with working on a film can help one become a good actor.
“When you work as an assistant director, you cannot just be an observer. You will have to get involved — like, if a light boy doesn’t turn up, you will have to take his place. You will get to know the techniques of filmmaking, how the director communicates to the actor, to the cameraman, and how he deals with the rest of the team. You will get to observe all the aspects closely,” says Shreyan.
He added that this trend has started in Tollywood only a couple of years ago. In fact, when Shreyan expressed his decision to act in films, he was actually forced to work as an assistant director first.
Another young actor, Vijay Deverakonda, who became an overnight star with Pelli Choopulu, has been receiving a whole lot of praise for his acting abilities. He says, “Working as an assistant director on movie sets gives you an insight into (what’s happening on) the set, the dynamics, the chaos and the functionality of how a film is shot. A keen observer can pick up various useful knacks of filmmaking. But, to become a better actor, you’ll have to act and only do more of it. No amount of being assistant director is going to help you act. It’ll only help you know what your director means when he says mark, monitor, take, entry or playback.”
Vijay worked as an assistant director too, but that was the only way for him to enter the film industry, he says. “I was doing theatre during my final year of degree when I also worked as an assistant director with Teja for six months, but I did it because I had no other option. For some, it might be a privilege, but for a few of us it was the only way to get access to the industry.”
Actor Brahmaji points out that during his time, there were only a few acting institutes run by former actors and he had joined one of them. “More than acting institutes, we reached Chennai with a hope that we will get a good break. For many months and in fact, years, we would go from office to office asking for roles. We would utilise the opportunities whenever we got a chance. That helped us do better each time,” says Brahmaji.
