Venkatesh Maha
He wrote and directed the critically-acclaimed Care of Kancharapalem (2018) and is now helming Uma Maheswara Ugra Rupasya , the Telugu remake of the Malayalam hit Maheshinte Prathikaram , starring Satyadev.
Venkatesh Maha 
I want to see more new writers in Telugu cinema and we need to evolve our writing. There’s a dearth of writers, perhaps that’s one of the reasons we don’t have enough fresh content. I’ve been attending NFDC’s (National Film Development Corporation) Film Bazaar the last few years and Telugu cinema rarely gets discussed there. Our cinema is spoken about when the topic is about big budgets and box office thanks to S S Rajamouli’s Baahubali , but we are yet to make a mark in national and international forums for critically acclaimed films. In the 2020s, I hope to make at least one film that will be appreciated in the international circuits.
I also wish that new and emerging actors, especially those coming from a film family, take up diverse content. Chiranjeevi garu did a variety of films and that made him a superstar. I see a trend of young actors wanting to do those mass masala films in the initial stage itself. When our emerging and established actors are open to diverse content, Telugu cinema will benefit.
Sashi Kiran Tikka
He co-wrote and directed Goodachari (2018) and is now working on Adivi Sesh-starrer Telugu-Hindi film Major , inspired by the life of major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a martyr of the 26/11 attacks.
Sashi Kiran Tikka
I’ve always believed in content-driven cinema. But I observed this significant shift among the audience, in the last two to three years. Earlier there were fewer opportunities for filmmakers who wanted to tell a story in a more rooted manner. There was a view that such narrative styles would be more appropriate for Malayalam or Tamil cinema. All that’s changing now. New-age producers are game to back new content and the old school producers are also opening up to ideas. It’s easier to do a film like Goodachari or Major today, deviating from the typical song and dance routine, as compared to a decade ago. I like to use music as montages or for situations where you push the story forward through lyrics. I am passionate about cinema, and apart from directing, I am also eager to edit, produce and try other crafts and help other aspiring filmmakers to tell their stories.
Gowtam Tinnanuri
He wrote and directed the coming-of-age romance Malli Raava (2017) and the sports-relationship drama Jersey (2019), and is currently remaking Jersey in Hindi with Shahid Kapoor.
Gowtam Tinnanuri
The biggest change in the last decade, I think, has been the emergence of OTT platforms. There’s been a shift in the viewing experience, with people viewing a lot more content on smaller screens. I love the experience of watching a film in a theatre. Hollywood has been making superhero spectacles that elevate the theatrical experience. And we have had Baahubali . It’s tough for us to make those larger-than-life films with the budgets we have. We need to adapt technology to achieve that kind of result at a lower cost. I want to learn new technology and see how it can help my filmmaking process. Each time there’s a threat from a new medium, cinema has evolved and taken a new direction. The evolution in the 2020s will be significant. After the Jersey Hindi remake, I want to make a Telugu film. I enjoy the process of writing and my Telugu lines being spoken by actors.
Some of the films lined up for 2020:
Sarileru Neekevvaru: Directed by Anil Ravipudi, starring Mahesh Babu and Rashmika Mandanna
Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo: Directed by Trivikram Srinivas, starring Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde and Tabu
Entha Manchivaadavuraa: This Kalyan Ram and Mehreen starrer is directed by Satish Vegesna
Disco Raja: Vi Anand directs the Ravi Teja starrer
Nishabdham: Anushka Shetty and Madhavan are part of the ensemble cast and the thriller is directed by Hemant Madhukar
RRR: The S S Rajamouli project brings together Ram Charan, NTR, Alia Bhatt, and others.
Ashwathama: Directed by Ramana Teja, the film stars Naga Shaurya and Mehreen
96: A remake of the Tamil film of the same name is directed by C Prem Kumar and stars Samantha and Sharwanand
World Famous Lover: The Kranthi Madhav directed film stars Vijay Deverakonda, Rashi Khanna, Catherine Tresa, Aishwarya Rajesh and Izabelle Leite
Bheeshma: The Nithin-Rashmika starrer is directed by Venky Kudumula
V: Indraganti Mohana Krishna helms the much-awaited project starring Sudheer Babu, Nani, and others.
Love Story: Director Sekhar Kammula’s film promises to show Naga Chaitanya in a new avatar
Jathi Rathnalu: Anudeep KV directs the film that stars Naveen Polishetty, Priyadarshi and Rahul Ramakrishna
Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya: This remake of the Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaram is directed by Venkatesh Maha and stars Satyadev
HIT: The thriller starring Vishwak Sen and Ruhani Sharma, and produced by Nani and Prashanti Tipirneni is directed by Sailesh Kolanu
Virata Parvam: The Rana-Sai Pallavi starrer that’s set in the 90s is directed by Venu Udugula
Asuran remake: Venkatesh will headline this remake to be directed by Srikanth Addala
Jaan: The Prabhas and Pooja Hegde starrer is directed by K K Radha Krishna and has story by Chandrasekar Yeleti
Wild Dog: Starring Nagarjuna as the cop, Wild Dog is inspired by true incidents and is written and directed by Ahishor Solomon.
Chiranjeevi-Koratala Siva: Work on Chiranjeevi’s 152nd film is underway and more details are awaited about this new project.
