Phaneendra Adapala recalls the 3am call to his friend in March 2023. “I had to share the subject for my next documentary film - the city’s firefighters,” recalls the Hyderabad-based independent filmmaker, whose Telugu documentary Burning Bridges depicts the lives of firefighters and their mindscapes while on duty. The 55-minute documentary with English subtitles has not only won the jury mention at the 14th Dada Sahab Phalke Film Festival (DSPFF-24) but also won two categories in the Indian Film House (IFH) National awards to be held in June.
Tribute to real heroes
A scene from the documentary | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Happy at the jury mention, Phaneendra, who conceptualised and directed this documentary, recollects looking at the Secunderabad Fire Station in awe while travelling from Hitech City to Sainikpuri. Later in a cafe, he overheard people discussing a fire. That led him to read news reports and watch videos of fire. All that this inspired him to look at the lives of the fire brigade, their stories, feelings and experiences.
Emotional stories
Phaneendra Adapala | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Once he secured the permission of Y Nagi Reddy, Director General of Police Telangana, , he planned to interview the ground staff of three fire stations — Paradise (Secunderabad general fire), Madhapur (high-rise building fire) and Jeedimetla (factory fire). Finally, however, he interviewed 15 firefighters from the Madhapur and Secunderabad areas and used only 11 to avoid repetition. “I couldn’t control my tears while listening to their stories — a mother and son incident, a couple’s suicide, children locked up in a factory fire, and how people treated firefighters during a fire, they are all unforgettable.”
Bond with fire brigade
At the control room... a scene from the documentary | Photo Credit: special arrangement
He has formed a bond with M Hari Krishna (fireman lead), Syed Javeed Pasha (driver- operator), Sai Kiran and Hari Krishna (fireman) and he hopes viewers are empathetic about the fire brigade and connect to their emotions when they risk their lives to save strangers . “I want the audience to listen to their stories and watch their expressions. I want people to understand and treat them well, give them the respect they deserve.”
Scene from the documentary | Photo Credit: special arrangement
Besides associate producer Akhil Vemula, assistant district fire officer Suresh Reddy was a pillar of strength. “Suresh Reddy sir is the first person who trusted my idea even before the pre-production stage; he guided me in the procedures and helped me get permission to shoot in the control room and while taking out the fire engines.”
Phaneendra runs Nirmala Entertainments Pvt Ltd., a production house dealing with brand and corporate films, shows, product shoots, and social media management, which helps to fuel the documentaries. He looks forward to his next project, Tremble, a film on the shootout in Indravelli (Adilabad) in 1981.
