No Contracts. No Clauses. Just Trust

In an industry built on contracts and caution, Siddu Jonnalagadda stands out for his quiet defiance. He doesn’t sign agreements or chase legal clauses — instead, he works on mutual trust. For him, faith is the only binding document that matters. “I’ve never really signed contracts,” he says, matter-of-factly.

“It started with DJ Tillu and continued with Tillu Square, Jack, and now Telusu Kada. It gives me creative freedom, and there’s faith on both sides. For Badass, my upcoming film, I haven’t even taken an advance yet. We just trust each other to do right.”

It’s an unconventional path in a business that thrives on clauses and guarantees. Siddu laughs when asked if it ever worries him. “Maybe I’ll change if someone cheats me. Until then, I’m fine this way,” he says. “When Jack didn’t work, I even returned part of my payment—nobody asked me to. It just felt fair.”

That instinct for fairness and authenticity bleeds into his craft too. Ahead of Telusu Kada’s release, Siddu is in a reflective space—calm, grounded, and quietly anxious. “There’s always that mix of nerves and excitement,” he says.

The film, directed by Neeraja Kona, is a romantic drama that explores love, life, and marriage. But Siddu’s focus is less on plot and more on people—how pain reshapes them. “Varun, my character, isn’t perfect,” he explains. “He’s hurt, and hurt changes people. Sometimes it makes you better, sometimes worse. Varun is somewhere in between—right and wrong at once.”

It’s a stark contrast to his flamboyant breakout as DJ Tillu, but Siddu isn’t trying to erase the past. “I don’t carry Tillu’s energy in real life, but the audience still sees me through that lens,” he admits. “If they stop seeing Tillu twenty minutes into Telusu Kada, that’ll be the real win.”

As a writer, he’s still sketching worlds and voices—some funny, some broken, all deeply human. “I’m in a good space right now,” he says, smiling. “Writing, chilling with my boys, focusing on stories that stay.”