Koratala Siva, who is awaiting the release of Devara, fronted by Jr NTR, says that with the actor, the “journey is always special”. “His reactions are usually strong and not diplomatic. So, I get it whether we are on the same wavelength or not. In the idea stage itself when I said about the necessity of fear in a human being, he got excited, which helped me to take the script to next level,” the writer-director, who worked in the writing department of Tarak’s films like Oosaravelli and Brindavanam before going on to direct him in the blockbuster Janatha Garage, said in a media interaction on Tuesday in Hyderabad.
Devara took a long time to go on to the floors after the official announcement. Speaking about it, Koratala stated, “This film required a lot of prep. We didn’t have many people advising us on how to make it. It’s a first of its kind. To know how to make the film took time. We took almost six months for prep –how to shoot on sea, light variations and how to create sea in a controlled environment.”
The decision to make Devara in two parts was taken in the second schedule itself, Koratala revealed. “The narration ran into four hours. When we put that on paper, it will go on for six to seven hours. During the second schedule itself, we realized the content was too much but we went ahead not wanting to make it in two parts because everyone was doing two parts (at that time). But when we felt the story cannot be told in a single part, we decided to make it in two parts.”
Did it prove difficult to convince NTR as part two would mean him spending another year on the same story? Koratala responded, “We are not doing it for business or to create some sensation. When it can’t be done in one part, it has to be made in two parts.”
With his last, Acharya, with megastar Chiranjeevi ending up as a clunker, is he feeling the pressure? “There is no pressure. Luckily I dived into the motion poster work of Devara 20 days after Acharya released,” he revealed.
He also clarified that Devara story has nothing to do with the project he announced with Allu Arjun four years ago.
