As a child he accompanied his father who organised regular literary meetings. “I would listen in rapt attention and before I realised, I was smitten by the Telugu literature bug,” says Chegondi Ananta Sriram, one of the most sought after lyricist in Telugu film industry today.
A native of Doddipatla village near Palakollu in West Godavari district, Sriram pursued Intermediate course in a city college. “Vijayawada is a perfect blend of tradition and modern unlike Hyderabad which mostly comprises migrant population. This city has natural diversity which adds to its vibrant culture,” he says.
His constant raving on Vijayawada reflects his fondness for this city. “For film industry, Vijayawada is very important as it decides the fate of any given film. Immediately after a release, the first thing one wants to know is ‘what is the talk in Vijayawada”.
“The encouragement I got here helped me climb the ladder of success,” he says recalling the days when he wandered around in vast stretches of coconut orchards with his friends here.
Sriram has written lyrics for 575 Telugu film songs in his nine-year-long career in the industry. Kaadante Aunanile was the first film that came his way. “My career’s high point came in 2006 when I wrote songs for Megastar Chiranjeevi’s Stalin . The songs paraa re..paraa re, go…go.. and toba re toba became a rage and ever since there was no turning back,” he beams. The young lyricist has worked with top music directors like A.R. Rehman, Keeravani and Illayaraja.
Besides a Filmfare award for Eto Vellipoyindi Manasu , he has bagged a host of other honours for his exceptional talent.
“I like songs based on ragas of Carnatic music but we need to write as per the directions of the music directors.”
Sriram says lyric-writing is the only field with less competition. “People usually aim to be a director or a producer. More youngsters must come into this field as it offers vast opportunities. Women, somehow, are conspicuous by their absence. I feel that they will do a better job of writing songs for situations where female characters are involved,” he opines.
The song writer urges youth to explore this area which, he assures, will not disappoint them.
