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Prasanth Varma

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Prasanth Varma
Born (1989-05-29) 29 May 1989 (age 35)
Palakollu, Andhra Pradesh, India
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Years active2011–present
SpouseSukanya Raju

Prasanth Varma is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He is best known for directing Awe (2018), Kalki (2019), Zombie Reddy (2021) and Hanu-Man (2024). His debut film Awe won at the National film awards for Best Special Effects, and Best Make-up.[1] He is also the co-founder of Scriptsville, an organization dedicated to supporting screenwriting in Telugu cinema.[2]

Early life

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Prasanth Varma was born on 29 May 1989 in Palakollu, Andhra Pradesh in a Telugu family, to Narayana Raju, a civil contractor, and Kanaka Durga, a government school teacher. He has a younger sister, Sneha Sameera.[3][4] He attended Sri Saraswathi Sisu Mandir in Palakollu, where his education included an extra subject focusing on stories from the Itihasas, such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavatham.[1]

After completing his schooling, he graduated from CVR College of Engineering in 2010.[5] Varma's passion for mythological stories is shared by his younger sister, Sneha Sameera, who is also part of his Scriptsville team.[1] He married Sukanya Raju in 2020.

Career

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2011–2017: Early career

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Prasanth Varma began his career in 2011 by directing a short film Deenamma Jeevitham.[6] He then directed ad films and a few short films, including A Silent Melody (2014) and Dialogue in the Dark (2017). In 2015, he directed a five-episode web series, Not Out, starring Brian Lara, which premiered on YuppTV.[7][8] In an interview with Idlebrain.com, Prasanth Varma named Singeetam Srinivasa Rao as his biggest inspiration, admiring how he never repeated himself in his work. He is also influenced by Christopher Nolan, K. Viswanath, and Mani Ratnam.[9]

2018–present: Directorial debut and critical acclaim

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In 2017, Prashanth Varma presented the storyline of Awe to actor Nani, securing its production through Wall Poster Cinema alongside Prashanti Tipirneni. Released in 2018, the film marked his directorial debut and garnered acclaim for its subversive depiction of psychological and social issues, including child abuse, sexual abuse, and drug abuse. Critics, including Baradwaj Rangan, praised his narrative and direction, with special emphasis on the portrayal of lesbian characters in the movie.[10] The film's success also highlighted Varma's ability to effectively integrate visual effects into storytelling, a skill he honed through hands-on experience in his early career.[1]

Following Awe, Varma continued to explore diverse genres. His next release, Kalki (2019), starring Rajasekhar and produced by C. Kalyan, was originally conceived as a web series. However, Varma adapted the screenplay into a feature film format, a process that took eight months.[11] Kalki received mixed reviews from critics.

Prasanth Varma's third release was Zombie Reddy (2021),[12] originally scheduled for 2020 but delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in India. Marketed as the first zombie film in Telugu,[13] it received positive reviews and performed well at the box office. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote that "In one stroke, director Prasanth Varma juxtaposes different worlds—a pandemic looming large, zombies, Rayalaseema faction rivalry—to hilarious effect"[14]

On 29 May 2021, he announced his next film Hanu-Man.[15] The film is marketed as the first Telugu Superhero film.[16][17] Starring Teja Sajja as Hanumanthu and Amritha Aiyer as Meenakshi, the film was released on 12 January 2024, coinciding with Sankranti. It served as the first installment of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU), inspired by Indian mythology. The film received highly positive reviews for its direction, screenwriting, performances, visualization, background score, VFX, production design and action sequences. With a global box office gross of over ₹350 crore, it became the highest-grossing Telugu film of 2024, the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 and the eight highest-grossing Telugu film of all time.[18][19]

Scriptsville

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In 2018, Prasanth Varma founded Scriptsville with his sister Sneha Sameera to enhance screenwriting in Telugu cinema. Scriptsville aims to help new and unrecognized writers gain recognition and proper credit.[2]

The idea for Scriptsville came from Prasanth's understanding of the industry's need for professional script development and writer recognition. After the success of his debut film Awe, Prasanth and Sameera launched Scriptsville to offer a platform for both emerging and established writers. They invited writers to submit their ideas and received over a thousand submissions, from which a few promising stories were chosen for development. Initially, Scriptsville began with ten writers—five full-time and five working remotely or part-time.[2]

Scriptsville has played a role in developing several scripts, including those for Prasanth's film Kalki. The organization assists with dialogues, screenplay structure, and solving script issues. They also plan to sell scripts to directors and producers to promote quality writing.[2]

As of May 2023, Scriptsville continues to work on new films and web series, advancing its goal to improve screenwriting in Telugu cinema.[1]

Filmography

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Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
List of feature film credits
Year Title Director Screenplay Story Notes Ref.
2018 Awe Yes Yes Yes Feature film debut
2019 Kalki Yes Yes No
2021 Zombie Reddy Yes Yes Yes
Adbhutham No No Yes [20]
2024 Hanu-Man Yes No Yes Part of PVCU
Devaki Nandana Vasudeva † No No Yes [21]
TBA Mahakāli † No No Yes Part of PVCU [22][23]
TBA Adhira † Yes Yes Yes Part of PVCU
TBA Jai Hanuman † Yes Yes Yes Part of PVCU
TBA That Is Mahalakshmi Yes No No Unreleased

Other works

List of other film credits
Year Title Notes
2011 Deenamma Jeevitham directorial debut
2014 A Silent Melody
2017 Dialogue in the Dark

Television

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Year Title Role Network Ref.
2015 Not Out Director / Creator YuppTV [24]
2024 The Mystery of Moksha Island Writer Disney+ Hotstar [25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi, ed. (11 May 2023). "Prasanth Varma: I sought Rajamouli's advice for 'Hanu-Man'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (3 October 2018). "Scriptsville hopes to streamline the writing process and generate quality content for web series and Telugu cinema". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ "On his birthday, filmmaker Prasanth Varma announces Hanu Man, first Telugu superhero movie". 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  4. ^ Hanuman Director About His Family (motion picture) (in Telugu). India: iDream Filmnagar. 13 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  5. ^ Director Prashanth Varma Wife Sukanyaraju Visuals (motion picture) (in Telugu). India: TV5 Tollywood. 27 January 2024. Event occurs at 00:02:10. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  6. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (6 February 2018). "'Awe' is an experiment that got bigger and bigger". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  7. ^ "YuppTV Launches Its First Original Content with a Web Series Starring Cricket Legend - Brian Lara is NOT OUT!". businesswire.com. 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Yupp TV launches first web series with Brian Lara". Indian Television Dot Com. 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Interview with Prasanth Varma about Awe". Idlebrain.com. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Awe Movie Review by Baradwaj Rangan - Filmcompanion". Film Companion. 1 March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Interview with Prasanth Varma about Kalki by Maya Nelluri - Telugu cinema director". idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Zombie Reddy Movie Review: A desi zombie film complete with factionism and lots of drama", The Times of India, archived from the original on 29 September 2022, retrieved 22 June 2021
  13. ^ "Teaser of Prasanth Varma's Zombie Reddy: The First Bite Is Pretty Cool, And Has Corona References Too". Film Companion. 5 December 2020. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  14. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (5 February 2021). "'Zombie Reddy' movie review: When the zombies attack Seema". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Hanu-Man: Awe director Prasanth Varma announces Telugu cinema's first superhero film". Hindustan Times. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Director Prasanth Varma announces next Telugu film, 'Hanu-Man'". The News Minute. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  17. ^ Janani K. (29 May 2021). "Director Prasanth Varma announces Telugu's first superhero film Hanu-Man. Watch". India Today. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Prasanth Varma Next Movie: ప్రశాంత్ వర్మ తర్వాతి చిత్రం ఏదో తెలుసా! 'జై హనుమాన్' కంటే ముందే మరో సూపర్ హీరో మూవీ". Hindustan Times Telugu (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024. ఈ మూవీని ప్రశాంత్ వర్మ తెరకెక్కించిన విధానం, నరేషన్, పీఎఫ్‍ఎక్స్, ఎలివేషన్లు, హనుమంతుడిని చూపించిన విధానం, నటీనటుల పర్ఫార్మెన్స్, బ్యాక్‍గ్రౌండ్ మ్యూజిక్ ఇలా అన్ని విషయాల్లో హనుమాన్‍కు మంచి టాక్ వస్తోంది.
  19. ^ "HanuMan director Prasanth Varma says he 'wasted a lot of time' waiting for stars like Ram Charan, Allu Arjun and Jr NTR: 'Even if Tom Cruise comes to me…'". The Indian Express. 27 January 2024. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  20. ^ Desk, klapboard (18 July 2020). "Adbutham is a 'scriptsville' story: Mallik Ram | klapboardpost". Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  21. ^ Features, C. E. (6 October 2024). "Ashok Galla's Devaki Nandana Vasudeva locks its release date". Cinema Express. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Balakrishna's son Nandamuri Mokshagna debuts with 'Simba', Jr NTR extends wishes". India Today. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Nandamuri Balakrishna's Son Mokshagna Teja To Debut With This Telugu Film". News18. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  24. ^ "YuppTV to launch its first web series on Brian Lara". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  25. ^ "The Mystery of Moksha Island Review: A moderately suspenseful survival thriller". OTTPlay. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
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