Flops to Direction: Why Telugu Heroes Want Full Control?

Telugu Heroes Take the Director's Chair

Several young heroes are now stepping behind the screen as writers, directors and creative heads, taking more control over the stories they want to tell.

Kiran Abbavaram, Ram Pothineni, Kartikeya Gummakonda, and Sudheer Babu are among the young actors exploring direction with projects that are completely different from one another.

Kiran Abbavaram is making his directorial debut with Reality. The film is said to be rooted in real-life incidents and middle-class emotions. The recently released teaser received plenty of trolling, but it also created some curiosity about what Kiran has actually attempted as a filmmaker. The film is scheduled for a Christmas release on December 25.

Ram Pothineni is taking an even more unusual route after some big box office disasters. He is directing a crime suspense neo-noir set against the backdrop of the 1940s. The project is said to have a Hollywood-style visual approach and could be a completely new space for the actor. Ram has experimented with different genres as a hero, but directing gives him an opportunity to control the entire visual world of a film.

Kartikeya is also getting behind the camera with a boxing-based sports drama. The actor is reportedly undergoing a physical transformation for the project, which is expected to have intense boxing sequences and a strong action component. After a period of ups and downs, Kartikeya is hoping this ambitious project will give his career a fresh direction.

Sudheer Babu has also announced his directorial debut, choosing a high-voltage action film set against the backdrop of martial arts. Sudheer has experience in martial arts and dance, and those skills could become a major part of the film’s action design.

Directing is a completely different game from acting. A hero can depend on a director, cinematographer and editor to shape a performance. A director has to take responsibility for the entire film, from the script and performances to visuals, pacing and final output.

That makes these experiments risky. But it also shows that the younger generation of Tollywood actors wants more creative control over the stories they tell. Many of them, after going through flops, are struggling to find directors who can truly tap their potential. The few directors who can do that are often busy with bigger stars.

So, instead of waiting around, these heroes are trying to create their own opportunities and carve out their own futures.

If even one or two of these films work, this could encourage more heroes to move behind the camera.