10 Female technicians from the Telugu cinema who are making heads turn
As part of this year’s women’s day, CE sheds a light on the women who are creating their own path behind the camera in Tollywood
Nandini Reddy, Writer-Director - She made her directorial debut in Ala Modalaindi (2011) and went on to direct a bunch of slice-of-life films in the romantic comedy space.
Her upcoming film Anni Manchi Sakanumule is set to release this summer.
Latha Naidu, Production Designer Born and raised in Bengaluru, Latha Naidu started her career with Pelli Choopulu (2016), where she designed both sets and costumes.
Latha later went on to establish herself as a production designer, working in Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi (2018), U-Turn (2018) and Pitta Kathalu (2021)
Srujana Adusumilli, Editor A graduate in film editing from the Film and Television Institute of India, Srujana Adusumilli left her job as an engineer in the US to pursue a career in films.
She assisted veteran editor A Sreekar Prasad for a year before going ahead to work independently.
Lakshmi Sowjanya, Director After working for a decade and a half in the industry as an assistant director, Lakshmi Sowjanya went on to make her directorial debut in Varudu Kavalenu (2021).
She later went on to direct Maa Neella Tank a year later, a ZEE5 original webseries starring Sushanth and Priya Anand.
Suchitra Chandrabose, Choreographer - Starting her career in 1988 with the film Aakhari Poratam, Suchitra went on to serve as a choreographer in the Telugu film industry for a period of two decades.
he is a recipient of the Nandi award for best choreography twice, for Yamaleela (1994) and Nuvvu Naaku Nachav (2001). She has also directed Pallakilo Pellikuturu (2004), the debut film of Raj Gautham
Shreshta, Lyricist - Hailing from Mancherial, Telangana, Shreshta studied law from Osmania University, Hyderabad before moving on to work in films as a lyricist.
She started her career as the solo lyricist of Oka Romantic Crime Katha (2012). She is best known for her work in Pellichoopulu (2016) and Arjun Reddy (2017).
MM Sreelekha, Music Director - The first cousin of MM Keeravani, SS Rajamouli and Kalyani Malik, MM Sreelekha made her debut as a music composer at t prodigious age of 12 in the SAC'sNaalaiya Theerupu
She has gone on to work primarily in the Telugu film industry since then, working in 80 films as a music director.
Padmavati Malladi, Screenwriter - Starting her career as a film critic, Padmavati Malladi went on to work in the writing departments of Manamantha (2016), Mahanati (2018), and Radhe Shyam (2022)
She has recently written the dialogues for the Aishwarya Lekshmi starrer Ammu, in addition to directing the short film, The girl with a man’s voice.
Neeraja Kona, Costume Designer and lyricist - One of the most sought after personal stylists in Hyderabad, Neeraja Kona has also worked in the last decade as a costume designer.
Shg ained recognition for her work in Jersey (2019) and Shyam Singha Roy (2021). She has also briefly worked as a lyricist for films like Thikka (2016), Chal Mohan Ranga (2018) and Miss India (2020).
Priyanka and Swapna Dutt, Producers - Daughters of veteran producer C Aswani Dutt, Priyanka and Swapna worked as producers in the Telugu film industry for nearly two decades.
hey are best known for their work in Mahanati (2018), Jathiratnalu (2021), Sita Ramam (2022) and the upcoming Prabhas-Deepika Padukone starrer Project K
