Writer-director Nanda Kishore Emani made a notable debut with 35 - Chinna Katha Kaadu, which released on September 6. The film, produced by Waltair Productions, the makers of Pareshan (2023) and Double Engine (2024), has fared impressively at the box office and garnered much critical acclaim. The slice-of-life drama stars Nivetha Thomas, Vishwadev Rachakonda, Priyadarshi, Arun Dev, and more.
An elated Nanda Kishore Emani had a one-on-one conversation with CE about his process, his perspective on the job of a director, as well as the cinematography, editing, and sync sound aspects of his film.
Can you tell a bit about your journey—how did you decide to be a filmmaker?
Mainly, I always loved telling stories. I used to write for my school magazines, for the weekly magazine Vipula from Ramoji Rao gaaru, which stopped publishing print versions now, and also for the Visalaandhra magazine. Because I discovered that cinema is the most interesting way of telling a story, I turned into a filmmaker. It’s more of a storyteller transforming into a filmmaker. Even today, I don’t see it as a film, I see it purely as a visual story.
How was the pitching process for this film, especially considering today’s market for action and high-budget films?
AI always trusted my narration. Whenever I give a narration, I try to unfold the story in a beautiful way. Whatever you see on the screen, it was always part of the narration. It’s not my specialty, I consider it God’s gift (laughs). And I never narrate in the manner of summarizing the whole story. I always requested to give proper time for a full, scene-to-scene screenplay narration. I never left a narration with ambiguity, and I think that worked for me during the pitching period.
How long did it take for you to move from script to screen?
For 35 to travel from the day I started pitching to the theatrical release of the film release, it took five years.
Who are the filmmakers who inspired you the most?
I am an ardent fan of Viswanath gaaru; I used to watch his films on TV and find a lot to draw from. When it comes to world cinema, I didn’t watch a lot of films from the West. But whenever I used to watch and go back, it was mostly Steven Spielberg’s films that stood out for me. And after coming to the industry, it’s Rajamouli gaaru who is the master of emotions. The way he makes you feel emotional about the characters always inspires me.
Let’s talk about Niketh Bommi’s cinematography. Tirupati was very beautiful in the film and the way shots were composed with children was interesting...
Let me be frank, I don’t think Niketh needed this film, he is at the point in his career where he is already getting offers from A-listers. Yet, he chose to do this film, which I feel is his greatness. It’s not at all my credit. Whatever magic you are seeing, it belongs to him. In fact, he called me a few days ago, saying, ‘Thank you for giving 35 in my filmography,’ which is so sweet of him. And coming to the cinematography, we had detailed discussions. We spoke about how the camera should just be a spectator in the film without intruding on any scene. There are many long takes in the film, which kept it natural. We didn’t add an apple box for Nivetha, we showed her height as is. Making these minor decisions is what makes a film like this work. The best part was that Niketh had a great working partnership with our production designer, Latha Naidu. They were always in sync for most of the scenes.
Can you tell me about the production design of the film?
Our production designer, Latha, was hugely helpful. In any film, making production stand out is easy, but making it invisible and blending it within the scene is the most difficult job. If you see, anywhere in the film, the production design doesn’t stand out. I think she did one of her best works for this film. Even that scene where Nivetha counts days by sticking bindi to the mirror was there in the script, but using that special three-face mirror was Latha’s contribution. And that added a lot of value for the film.
What do you think is the role of a director?
For me, I don’t believe in this concept of “making my film.” It’s always the cinematographer, the production designer, and the editor who make the film; my work is to inspire them to give it their best. A director’s job is to navigate all these artists to deliver their best. Even Mani Ratnam gaaru often talks about this. This is completely a collaborative art form.
Nivetha Thomas is getting immense appreciation for the film. How was your experience working with her?
Initially, I didn’t write the role of Saraswati with Nivetha in mind. The script happened to find her organically. She is such a committed performer that even when she is just in a suggestion or POV shot, she used to deliver the best there as well. She is one such actor who goes the extra mile. After the narration of the film, she sat with the costume designer and figured out how Saraswati was going to look. Even in tiny places, she did something unexpected, like showing her nails to the husband. And she is a one-film at a time person. In fact, she didn’t even listen to any other scripts during this film. Even for the promotions, she was fully dedicated. She is a wonderful actor and an amazing human being.
In the final scene, why does the logo 35 appear from Lord Venkateswara’s symbol?
Good question. Now in the Balaji symbol, there is Sudershana chakram, the triple-bindi and the shankam. Sudershana chakram which resembles zero. The bindi has three naamaas and Vishnu Murthy’s shankam is also called paanchajanyam. And the film starts there, that’s why the ‘035’ appears in the last part of the film making it a complete narrative.