Neerraja Kona interview: When Siddhu Jonnalagadda stepped in, ‘Telusu Kada’ became an edgy romance

Neerraja Kona, stylist and costume decorator who is making her directorial debut with the Telugu romance play Telusu Kada, releasing connected October 17, is tense but brims with enthusiasm erstwhile she discusses her movie starring Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Raashii Khanna, and Srinidhi Shetty. She describes the movie arsenic a new-age romance with edgy characters, a beardown euphony album, and hopes that the assemblage volition link to the 3 pivotal characters. “We’ve gone beyond feel-good romance and brought successful a caller perspective,” she says.

Neerraja’s archetypal movie arsenic stylist was the 2013 Pawan Kalyan starrer Attarintiki Daredi, aft she assisted the costume plan departments for films similar 1-Nenokkadine: “In the archetypal year, I worked connected 13 films helmed by starring directors specified arsenic Trivikram Srinivas, Harish Shankar, Krishvavamsi, Bobby, VV Vinayak, and Gopichand Mallineni. All that acquisition shaped my involvement successful cinema.”

She recalls discussing cinema, successful depth, with actors Samantha, Nani and Nithiin, manager Gowtam Tinnanuri and shaper Sandeep Mudda, implicit the years. “But I had nary thought that someday I would constitute a communicative oregon screenplay.” They were her sounding boards for Telusu Kada: “As a friend, Nithiin would springiness maine precise affirmative feedback. Nani, Gowtam and Sandeep would critically measure it and assistance maine constitute better.”

For Gen Z

Initially, her communicative was a feel-good romance, successful the portion of Mani Ratnam films that she had grown up watching. When Nithiin suggested Siddhu Jonnalagadda for the antheral protagonist, things took a turn.

By then, Neerraja had narrated the communicative to renowned cinematographer PC Sreeram and exertion Sreekar Prasad. “The information that these legends liked my communicative validated my writing. I’ve grown up being mesmerised by PC sir’s work, and it was a large woody to narrate the communicative to him.”

Given Siddhu’s edginess successful his caller films, including DJ Tillu and Tillu Square, the communicative was tweaked to springiness it a new-age appeal. “Since Siddhu is besides a writer, helium brought successful his perspective,” adds Neerraja. Siddhu is credited with further penning for the film.

As the movie grew into a much commercialized venture, Neerraja and PC Sreeram decided to portion ways. “It was mutual,” says Neerraja. Cinematographer V S Gnana Shekar stepped in.

While Siddhu mightiness beryllium successful the spotlight aft the Tillu films, Neerraja assures that some Raashii and Srinidhi person important parts. “I don’t deliberation the audiences person seen Raashii and Srinidhi arsenic specified characters successful a Telugu movie earlier. I tin accidental a batch astir their performances, but it volition person to hold till the film’s release.”

Neerraja is equipped with a grade successful manner selling and ocular merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles. “I had ne'er sketched arsenic portion of my course. But erstwhile successful the movie industry, I began learning.”

Unknowingly, determination was besides a writer successful her waiting to beryllium tapped into, possibly subconsciously inspired by her member — screenwriter Kona Venkat. A fewer years ago, Neerraja penned a publication of poems titled Waves, Sand & Magic. She besides began moving connected stories, intending to manus them implicit to directors and accumulation houses. “My friends encouraged maine to nonstop truthful that I tin narrate the stories the mode I had visualised them. I was not prepared to beryllium a director; I hadn’t adjacent assisted anyone.”

Eventually, she took the plunge. But not earlier having a fistful of stories successful place, truthful that she could nonstop films successful speedy succession. “I would constitute during breaks connected movie sets, seated successful a country oregon successful caravans, scribbling thoughts arsenic they came. When I completed the Telusu Kasa screenplay connected Celtx (software), it was profoundly satisfying.”

Game for divers reactions

Without giving distant the film’s crux, Neerraja says that a character’s reactions to a struggle constituent mightiness elicit divers responses. “I judge each 1 of america has a acheronian side. At the hazard of getting flak, I decided to enactment existent to the communicative and however I deliberation that a quality is apt to behave. Romance comes with symptom and complications. Harsha’s quality becomes the dependable of reason, often asking questions the assemblage mightiness deliberation of.”

A archetypal movie often reflects a director’s experiences oregon observations, with cinematic liberties. Neerraja agrees that there’s a spot of her successful the film’s 3 pivotal characters. “Whether it’s my poesy oregon screenplay, what I consciousness astatine that infinitesimal comes done successful my writing.”

When Neerraja stepped into her caller relation arsenic director, it was not easy. She was nary alien to moving connected movie sets. “Yet, it was each new. I wasn’t adjacent definite if I’d beryllium capable to accidental start, camera, action, with confidence. We filmed for 80 days. By the extremity of it, I was much confident. I relied connected my interior spot to talk with condemnation to exertion Navin Nooli, euphony composer Thaman, and galore experienced technicians.”

For Telusu Kada, she handed implicit the responsibilities of costume plan and styling to Sheetal Sharma and Lanka Santhoshi, truthful arsenic to not dispersed herself excessively thin. “Direction has been a learning acquisition with happiness and heartbreaks. I learnt the value of letting spell of immoderate portions I had written, for the betterment of the film.”

Neerraja says she has ever been a speedy learner. “I took an editing people with Sreekar sir successful 2019, I observed Thaman signaling euphony successful his studio, and each this helped me.”

She looks up to Zoya Akhtar’s quality to narrate a communicative with integrity and marque it commercially viable to a ample audience. That’s a abstraction she aims to beryllium in, narrating stories of substance that besides entertain.