Kiran Abbavaram awaits the theatrical release of 'Nenu Meeku Baaga Kavalsinavaadini', which hits the cinemas on Sept 9. A commercial entertainer directed by Sridhar Gade, the film is produced by Kodi Ramakrishna's daughter Kodi Divya Deepthi.
In this interview, cinematographer Raj K Nalli talks about working on the film, his background, his journey with the 'SR Kalyanamandapam' actor, and more.
I started working in the camera department in 2014. I worked on 'DevaDas' and then 'Uppena'. Before the pandemic, I got a call from Krishna Vamsi garu and that's how 'Ranga Marthanda' happened to me. Working with Prakash Raj garu, Ramya Krishna garu and Brahmanandam garu was a great journey. And then came the pandemic. The pre-production of 'Sebastian PC 524' started. 'Panchatantram', starring Brahmanandam garu in a key role, is another of my projects. I am also doing a film starring Nivetha Pethuram.
'Nenu Meeku Baaga Kavalsinavaadini' is my second film with Kiran Abbavaram. The project has always met its guidelines. Hard work and meticulous planning went into its making. Shooting for the film in December, in biting cold, was not easy. The output couldn't have been compromised on any level. Due to adept planning, everything went smoothly.
Kiran has been fast evolving as an actor. He improvises a lot spontaneously. I can see how he is going to rise in terms of the acting graph in the future. I am happy to be a part of his journey.
Kodi Ramakrishna's daughter Kodi Divya Deepthi has produced the movie. I like the technical quality of his movies like 'Devi' a lot. Deepthi is a cool producer and doesn't get nervous come what may. She is always calm and lends support to her crew completely. She never gets angry, and her focus is always on the output.
We have a different colour tone in some episodes in the movie. At the same time, the commercial tenor of the film has been maintained. The colour palette has been chosen consciously to make the proceedings feel different.
Besides entertainment, our film delivers a message concerning the need to respect women. Mani Sharma garu's music will also be a standout feature. His songs can be enjoyed in any mood.
As a child, I was thoroughly inspired by the camera work in Mani Ratnam's films. For the first time, I got interested in the craft of cinematography after watching 'Sakhi'. There is no bad cameraman, no good cameraman. It's all about their perspective, and how he explores things.
