Director Revanth Korukonda awaits the release of 'Natyam' on October 22. In this interview, the newcomer talks about the dance-based movie, working with actress-dancer Sandhya Raju and more.
I hail from Anakapalle.
I studied in the US and am passionate about movies. I like Vittalacharya's movies, especially. I feel that our classics have stronger concepts than several Hollywood superhero movies. I also love Indian mythologies, which are beyond Rama and Krishna.
When I wanted to debut in movies, I wanted to do something taking inspiration from K Viswanath garu. Classical dance is something I love a lot. I studied the history of the origin of classical dance forms such as Bharatnatyam. We humans like it when something is told in the form of a story. That's how narrating stories in the form of dances came into existence millennia ago. Classical dance forms in Indian are about story-telling as much as aesthetics. They convey a range of emotions. Story-telling influences humans in different ways. Dance-based story-telling can change your thinking. Drama, conflict, etc. stem from this.
In 'Natyam', a female kid is told a story by her guru in a village. She keeps the story in mind and is influenced by its emotions. She goes on to target the superstitions in the village by choosing dance as her medium. The music of the film is by Shravan Bharadwaj.
Sandhya Raju garu is the biggest pillar of support. When I prepared the story of 'Natyam', I approached a few actresses. But eventually, it dawned on me that I must cast a professional dancer. I happened to collaborate with Sandhya garu on a short film with my own movie. She liked the way I handled the short film. She showed interest to collaborate with me on a feature-length movie.
'Natyam' does have elements such as suspense, fun, joy and other ingredients. It has got all the necessary cinematic elements.
I and Sandhya garu came together because we both are passionate about dance. She was there with me throughout the making. She played the role of a technician as well.
Even as a child, I used to do a lot of research. For 'Natyam', I put in eight months of research when I set out to do a dance-based movie. I analyzed Kuchupudi, Bharatnatyam and Western dances. I also learned about various locations such as Hampi and other temple towns. I understood the cultures of different temples.
We are really fortunate that Ram Charan garu attended our film's pre-release event. He appreciated us after learning about the premise, story and theme of 'Natyam'.
I want to keep doing movies that are rooted in Telugu-ness and Indian culture. I want to bring back the Vittalacharya school of cinema.
