Vinay Ratnam Interview: I wanted my first feature to be in Telugu, no matter what

At 27, Vinay Ratnam is counting down to the release of his first feature film, Sri Chidambaram Garu. The Telugu film, which hits theatres on February 6, marks the culmination of years of persistence. “We held a preview in Visakhapatnam over the weekend, and the audience response was heartwarming,” he says.

Vinay’s feature debut follows a steady apprenticeship: 25 short films and a long short, Saagu, which travelled widely on the festival circuit. A self-taught filmmaker, he relied on publicly available resources and books on screenplay writing to understand the craft. “I grew up watching Telugu cinema and was determined not to give up on making films. I even discontinued engineering because I didn’t want a fallback option,” he says.

Saagu proved to be the turning point. The film made it to the Top 100 Films at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival 2024 and won Best Debut Director and Best Film at the Polish International Film Festival. “I remember saying then that I hoped Saagu would be my springboard to a feature,” Vinay recalls.

VInay Ratnam
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The idea for Sri Chidambaram Garu took shape four years ago and involved nearly a year-and-a-half of writing. Initially conceived as part of an anthology and pitched to OTT platforms, the story was shelved when anthologies fell out of favour. “That’s when I reworked it into a full-length feature,” he says.

Festival recognition helped Vinay pitch the script to multiple producers. While the story found appreciation, many were hesitant about its commercial viability with newcomers in lead roles. Vinay, however, was firm. Set in Kollangi hamlet in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district — a village without electricity or mobile connectivity — the film demanded fresh faces to retain authenticity.

The narrative centres on a young man mocked for his squint, who develops an inferiority complex and hides behind dark glasses. The idea emerged from Vinay’s own observations. “I’ve seen many young people lose years worrying about perceived flaws and chasing validation. We need to learn to accept who we are,” he says.

When Telugu producers remained unconvinced, Vinay briefly explored the possibility of a Malayalam collaboration. “We were almost set, but I wanted to make one last attempt in Telugu — my mother tongue.” He then turned to crowdfunding, collaborating with social media influencers in his hometown of Rajahmundry. “Within a day, we raised over ₹1 lakh,” he recalls.

Vamsi Tummala and Sandhya Vasishta in the film
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Those videos caught the attention of Chinta Vineesh Reddy and Gopala Krishna Reddy, producers of the mystery thriller KA. “Once they came on board, there was no looking back. We returned the crowdfunded amount,” Vinay says.

His childhood friend Vamsi Tummala, a familiar face from his short films, was cast as the male lead. The female lead, Sandhya Vasishta, and the rest of the cast were chosen from over 600 auditions. The technical team includes cinematographer Akshay Ram, music composer Chandu Ravi, editor Anwar Ali and sound designer Swapnik Rao. Extensive pre-production and workshops helped the team complete the shoot in just 32 days. “We even recorded sync sound on location,” Vinay adds.

The title, he explains, comes from local slang. “‘Chidambaram’ is often used as a tease for those with a squint, a reference to late Telugu actor Kallu Chidambaram. In the film, the protagonist forgets his real name because everyone calls him Chidambaram.”

Up next, Vinay plans to shift gears with an urban romantic comedy.