Being the son and grandson of the popular Producers, Rana Daggubati has always been interested in the technical aspects of cinema. He knows about working in multiple film industries in India and had a good understanding of the taste of the audience. He had previously joined hands with an independent talent management agency, which is working on bringing new talent into the film industries of South India. He recently told that they are planning to source creative writers who can weave authentic stories for Television and films.
“The industry has always been star-driven. For a long time, literature was not getting its due credit. We are trying to set up a literature team that will help us scout for people who have studied the art. We will train them,” the actor says. On the syllabus will be instructions on writing a film or scripting for television, Rana Daggubati says. “I know it is an exercise that will take a while to complete, but, we hope, six months from now, we will have a large team that focuses on churning out new stories.”
Even a year after the last installment hit screens, Baahubali continues to impact the life of the actor, who admits that the film has changed the way India perceived him. “The fantasy helped the industry move away from a star system. The country did not know us (cast of Baahubali). But the movie was a spectacle, which the entire nation came together to watch. The size of regional industries is small, but films like these bring them to the nation’s attention. That is the kind of cinema we are looking to build,” says the actor, “Our country is known for being the land that has been home to great stories. We need to find the best way to present them.”
In the Telugu film industry, it is difficult for new writers to get their stories registered without the help of a senior writer. This makes it impossible for any authentic writers to register and narrate their stories and as a result, Tollywood has been plagued by out-of-the-mill scripts and irresponsible writers. Nowadays most of the stories are written keeping any star in mind which lacks substance. The Hindi and Tamil industries have already been scouting for new stories as they’ve realized the need and importance of stories but Telugu producers and actors are content with the same old formulaic films. At least Rana took a step in encouraging young talent and if it is properly executed can change the Telugu cinema. Although several independent producers and directors are calling for scripts, the credit and remuneration are not guaranteed. So, most writers avoid such opportunities. Apart from Rana, recently Ram Gopal Varma too announced his school of film making which teaches students various crafts without making them follow stereotypes. This is a welcome change in the Telugu film industry and we can expect much-needed change.
