When it comes to top directors in Tollywood, visionary filmmaker Rajamouli comes to mind first. Through the film RRR, Rajamouli elevated the Telugu film industry’s reputation to Oscar-level fame. However, Rajamouli failed in one aspect: transforming his assistant directors into top directors. In this regard, director Sukumar has achieved immense success. Several directors who learned under Sukumar have demonstrated their prowess through hit films. Let’s now see who these directors are.
Sukumar’s Assistant Directors
Srikanth Odela
Srikanth Odela is currently making waves in Tollywood. With his debut film, Srikanth shattered box office records. His film ‘Dasara’ starring Nani entered the 100-crore club. Before this film, Srikanth worked as an assistant director under Sukumar. He contributed significantly to the success of the films Nannaku Prematho and Rangasthalam. Sukumar once mentioned that Rangasthalam wouldn’t have been such a great success without Srikanth Odela, which speaks to the director’s talent.
Buchi Babu Sana
Buchi Babu is another individual who began as Sukumar’s assistant director and later became a successful director. With his first film, Uppena, Buchi Babu created a sensation. He skillfully applied the lessons taught by Sukumar and showed his mark with his very first film. He presented debut hero Vaishnav Tej and heroine Krithi Shetty beautifully on screen. Uppena’s massive success led to Buchi Babu getting the chance to direct a film with Ram Charan. Ram Charan himself announced that Buchi Babu would direct his 16th film.
Palnati Surya Pratap
Emerging from Sukumar’s directorial school, Palnati Surya Pratap also managed to secure a significant hit with his debut film. He demonstrated his talent through the film “Kumari 21F”. Recently, Surya directed the movie “18 Pages” starring hero Nikhil and heroine Anupama. This classic love story has garnered a good buzz. Surya also worked as a screenwriter for Sukumar’s films such as “1: Nenokkadine”, “Rangasthalam”, and “Pushpa”.
Rajamouli’s Assistant Directors:
G.R. Krishna
Tollywood director G.R. Krishna initially worked as an assistant director under Rajamouli. He played a vital role in the success of the film “Simhadri”. Krishna was introduced as a director with the movie “Aadu Magadra Bujji”, but he couldn’t achieve success in the expected range. His subsequent film “Iddari Lokam Okate” also failed at the box office. Since 2019, Krishna hasn’t been able to helm another film in Tollywood.
Karuna Kumar
Another Tollywood director, Karuna Kumar, also learned filmmaking under Rajamouli. He went on to direct several films but couldn’t make a mark. His debut film “Palasa” received positive talk but failed at the box office. Later, movies like “Metro Kathalu”, “Sridevi Soda Center”, and “Kalapuram” failed to impress the audience.
Ashwin Gangaraju
Director Ashwin Gangaraju also worked as an assistant director under Rajamouli. He played a crucial role in the success of “Baahubali-1” and “Baahubali-2”. In 2021, Ashwin made his directorial debut with the film “Aakashavaani”, but the movie did not perform well.
Rajamouli’s Heroes and their Flops…!
Not only Rajamouli’s protégés but also the heroes who have worked with him in movies seem to experience failure in their subsequent films, which is quite surprising.
Jr. NTR
Rajamouli made his first film ‘Student No.1’ with Jr. NTR, which became a super hit. However, Jr. NTR’s next film ‘Subbu’ flopped. Rajamouli then made ‘Simhadri’ with Jr. NTR, which was another massive hit. But after that, Jr. NTR’s ‘Andhrawala’ failed at the box office. Rajamouli directed the film ‘Yamadonga’ with Jr. NTR, and then his next film ‘Kantri’ turned out to be a disaster.
Prabhas
In 2005, Rajamouli made the movie ‘Chatrapathi’ with Prabhas, which was a huge hit. However, Prabhas’ next film ‘Pournami’ was a flop and left him disappointed. After ‘Chatrapathi’, Rajamouli made ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Baahubali 2′ with Prabhas, which elevated Tollywood’s range and made Prabhas a pan-India star. Unfortunately, Prabhas’ subsequent films ‘Saaho’ and ‘Radhe Shyam’ received flop talk.
Ram Charan
Before ‘RRR’, Rajamouli made the movie ‘Magadheera’ with Ram Charan. Released in 2009, the film shook the silver screen. However, Ram Charan’s 2010 film ‘Orange’ was a major failure.
Sunil, who worked with Rajamouli on ‘Maryada Ramanna’, also faced difficulties finding success after that film. Similarly, Nani experienced a flop after Rajamouli’s film ‘Eega’. Nani and Samantha’s film ‘Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu’ also failed at the box office.”
