Bloodshed and violence maketh this debut director’s film

Ram Gopal Varma’s latest discovery, Siddharth Thatholu, dreamt of becoming a director at the age of 15. Now 23, Siddhartha will finally see his childhood dream come true when his debut film, Bhairava Geetha, is released next week.

The film, starring Dhananjay and Irra Mor in the lead, is touted to be a violent love story. The debut project, which is being made in two languages will first be released in Kannada and Telugu this week, followed by Tamil and Malaylam next week.

Although it might be Siddhartha’s first attempt, he says that he didn’t want to “go easy on myself. Before I started off, I was clear that I wanted to go realistic. I shot in 80 to 100 locations and just the recce alone took three months. I have an eye for natural locations, after which I decided on the artistes. Somehow everything fell in place for Bhirava Geetha.”

Siddhartha first learnt video editing as a 15-year-old. “I later started editing for RGV films, and during those three years, I was able to hone my skills,” he says.

What interests the debutant is 'bloodshed and violence' in films. “The emotions of love and violence can’t be compared to other elements. I realised this during the making of Bhairava Geetha.”

To many, Siddhartha is a silent worker, but he doesn’t agree with that tag. “Those who have watched me on sets will not believe that. If people just watch the making of Bhairava Geetha, they will see my louder side,” he says with a chuckle.

The filmmaker, who mostly speaks in Telugu, says he was lucky that the artistes, especially Dhananjay and Balraj, knew the language. “This helped us build a good rapport,” says the newcomer, who hopes to make lasting connections in the industry.