Shiva Nirvana, director of the hit film Irumudi, worked as a cooler boy on Ram Gopal Varma’s film set, eager to learn film direction from him
Before he became the director of Irumudi, the Telugu action-drama starring Ravi Teja, Shiva Nirvana had to find an unusual way to get close to filmmaking’s inner sanctum. His strategy? Become a “cooler boy” on Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra set.
An aspiring filmmaker at the time, Shiva was desperate to observe Varma at work. But with RGV’s sets tightly guarded, he knew he couldn’t simply walk in and announce himself as a budding director. So he took up the humble job of handling water and air coolers on the set — a logistical role that gave him legitimate access without raising suspicion.
Shiva quietly stayed close to the action, watching Varma direct and absorbing the filmmaking process from the sidelines. He remained so inconspicuous that Varma had no idea that the young man managing the coolers was actually an aspiring filmmaker studying his every move.
Varma says he only learnt about Shiva’s unusual apprenticeship recently, when the Irumudi director came to meet him.
“He came to my set where I was shooting with Manoj Bajpayee and introduced himself as the director of Irumudi,” recalls Varma. “Then he told me the entire story of how he had been a cooler boy on the sets of Rakta Charitra and why he chose to do it. He took up a job that was considered even lower than that of a spotboy, simply so he could somehow get access to me.”
For Varma, the revelation was both amusing and touching. “Basically, Shiva learnt filmmaking as a cooler boy on my set,” he says.
So, how does it feel to have unknowingly played Dronacharya to a filmmaker who has now delivered one of the year’s biggest blockbusters?
Varma turns emotional. “This shows what a creative mind can do if it sets its heart on something,” he says. “Shiva was willing to start at the bottom to achieve his dream. He watched me shoot quietly. Not once did I notice him. I didn’t even know what he looked like!”
Varma sees something of his own journey in Shiva’s determination. “I too started as a movie buff. I owned a videotape rental store. It is very important to have dreams — and heroes — to get somewhere in life.”
