HYDERABAD: Although his real name is Ravikrishna Vissapragada, almost nobody knows him with that name. Kittu Vissapragada, made a name for himself in the film fraternity after many years of struggle and now has found a footing in the cruel career path. Kittu’s story is everything you would expect from a typical struggler who moved to Hyderabad to create a career for himself and went through crippling ups and downs. As dramatic as the stereotype of a film industry struggle seems, Kittu’s story stands as proof to the concept. From days when he had to ask a fan to buy him food to writing for one of the biggest films of next year, Kittu has come a long way.
Started young
“I grew up as a performer,” says Kittu adding, “Ever since I was in school I would entertain people in the bus on the way home or during recesses. I eventually became the one the school management would come to for hosting events and such.” By the time he hit college, Kittu found his calling. He realised that he could conjure up lyrics without anyone having to prompt it. “I started to write lyrics to songs that already existed in my own manner using the situation it appears in. I would also watch a lot of movies and think about how I would make it,” he says.
As he reminisces, he jumps to share his first ever rendevous with filmmaking... If what he says can qualify as one. “This was 12 years ago when, digital cameras and internet hadn’t caught up. I showed a story I had written to a friend in my class and she said their family had bought a video camera recently. This was a reel camera, the old analog ones. So I would set up the camera, act in front of the camera hit the start and stop button all by myself. I took the reel to a small videography shop in my town, which would make wedding videos and develop negatives. The shopkeeper was excited with what I had given him so he edited it to form a film!” enthuses Kittu. Of course, there was more to the story.
Kittu didn’t have the money to go to the city to dub for the video so he decided to just record his narration in a closed room to overlap the video. “It worked like magic,” he says excitedly. His first stint at filmmaking itself seemed to have done wonders. He submitted the short film to many competitions and won them too! He made the biggest decision of his life at one of these competitions too. “A paralysed woman who voted for my film in the competition told me that I should write for movies and that people like me are necessary to the industry. That inspired me to pursue a career in the film industry,” he shares.
First encounter
Kittu’s first encounter with the real film industry happened by chance. After his friends enrolled him in a public-speaking competition which was organised as a part of a promotional campaign for the film Josh, Kittu happened to be one of the young men short listed among thousands. He was taken to Hyderabad where he won the final cash prize in the competition.
“Dil Raju noiticed me then and told me that I would make a good writer someday. But he also warned me that he would kick me out if I did not complete my education before jumping into this career,” shares Kittu. And so he told his parents what he wanted to become. “My father just said, ‘Look, do whatever you want, but don’t ask me for money.’ Our financial situation wasn’t great both, I and my sister studied on loans. But I kept that in mind and still made way to Hyderabad.” Thus started his hardships.
The drama is real
I was told to start with small films because you’ll keep being tossed around with big productions,” says Kittu. He says, “With my first films, Chemistry and Etu Chusina Nuvve I started to get money, so I quit my software job. But that did not work out well. Because I had a lot of work but no money. I would stay up all night so I could skip breakfast.” He narrates an incident which stayed with him. “One day a fan saw me at a small kirana shop and was thrilled to meet me.
I asked him if he could buy me a samosa. And he was moved but bought it anyway. That was my situation then.” But he had good samaritans in his life too. “My friend Abhishek Maharshi saw me struggling and just packed my bags and took me to his home one day. Their family took me in as their own. They became my family and I felt like I belonged. And that changed my state of mind. When I had affection being showered on me and didn’t have to worry about what I was going to eat the next day, I worked better,”he says.
The turning point
Aditi, a short film made by Arun pawar really spread like wild fire on the internet a few years ago. Starring Nandu and Geeta Madhuri, this short film was quite the rage. “That short film changed my life. Work started to come. But I also started to realise the cruel face of the industry. I was known to deliver quality content but people also knew that I wouldn’t explicitly ask for money and so they would exploit me. There were people spreading rumours that I garnered hatred towards a specific caste and so on. But I rose above.
By 2015 I had three films I was working on simultaneously – Aithe 2.0, Snehame Ra Jeevitham and Naruda Donoruda. 2016 I was approached by Vikram Kumar for writing dialogue for Akhil Akkineni’s Hello and this year I am writing dialogues for Sankalp Reddy’s Antariksham along with an additional screenplay credit. I have two movies in the pipeline too. Life’s good,” he smiles.
To the aspiring
“Be honest,” advises Kittu to the younger gen who are looking for a career in the industry. He says, “Stop playing around. Stick to your talent and work on presenting it. People giving you 20 minutes of their time isn’t a joke. You cannot expect them to be attentive to you completely. You have to present your work in such a way that they won’t look away,” he says. He also admits that this is the perfect time for fresh ideas and newbies to venture into the industry.
“Change has already started. Audience have stopped taking BS, no matter how big a star is. Producers have also become very open to giving opportunity. The problem is that most people become complacent after one hit. They start to dole out the same content because it worked once. Artistes should keep rediscovering themselves and keep experimenting,” says Kittu signing off.
Quick 5
Most Priced possession in the world:
Unconditional Love
One thing people don’t know about you:
I am a good cook
A quality you hate in people:
Creating and spreading rumours
What do you prefer doing on an off day:
Binge watch a crime web series
An ideal date for you:
With someone who can look into my eyes and talk near a lakeside, when it is not so dark, yet not so bright