Prasanth Varma is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works primarily in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

. He is best known for directing ''Awe'' (2018) and '' Zombie Reddy'' (2021).

Career

2011–2017: Initial career

Varma began his career in 2011 by directing a short film ''Deenamma Jeevitham.'' He then directed advertisement films and 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 Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing ...

. It was premiered on

YuppTV YuppTV is an over-the-top (OTT) content provider for South Asian content including live television and films with recording and storage features. YuppTV allows broadcasters and content providers to reach an audience, and allows consumers to vie ...

. In an interview to ''

Idlebrain.com Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website that features information, news, and reviews on Telugu cinema. It is one of the oldest websites on the Internet focusing on Telugu films. The site is especially popular for its film reviews writt ...

'', he admitted that

Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&n ...

, K. Viswanath and

Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...

are his major influences.

2018–present: Debut in feature films, breakthrough and critical acclaim

His first feature film was 2018

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betw ...

cross genre film ''Awe'' (2018), although ''

That Is Mahalakshmi ''That Is Mahalakshmi'' is an unreleased Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Prasanth Varma, produced by Manu Kumaran, and bankrolled by Taizoon Khorakiwala. The film is a remake of the 2014 Hindi film ''Queen''. The film stars T ...

'' was his directorial debut. Due to production issues and creative differences ''That is Mahalakshmi'' was post poned and delayed for several times. In September 2017, it was revealed that

Tamannaah Tamanna Bhatia (born 21 December 1989), known professionally as Tamannaah, is an Indian actress who appears primarily in Telugu and Tamil films, along with a few Hindi films. In 2005, she made her acting debut at the age of 15 in the Hindi fi ...

would work on the Telugu version of the film which would be directed by Neelakanta. Filming began on 2 November 2017. However, in January 2018, Neelakanta left the film, and was replaced by Prashanth Varma. As of 2022, the film is yet to release. In 2017, Varma narrated his Awe story to actor Nani. Soon, it was confirmed that the film will be produced by Nani and

Prashanti Tipirneni Prashanti Tipirneni is an Indian costume designer and producer who is noted for her work in Telugu language, Telugu films. She started her career with the 2010 film Vedam (film), ''Vedam'' and later worked for the Baahubali (franchise), ''Baahub ...

through Wall Poster Cinema. The film deals with various psychological issues and social problems like

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to ...

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

, and

drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

. Critics praised Varma's story and direction for showcasing social problems and portrayal of lesbian characters.

Baradwaj Rangan Baradwaj Rangan is an Indian film critic, writer, and formerly the deputy editor of '' The Hindu''. He later became a senior editor of Film Companion. Rangan won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2006. Before joining ''The Hin ...

stated "''Awe'' is genuinely subversive." His next release was ''Kalki'' (2019), starring Rajasekhar and produced by C. Kalyan. The original story was written by Saitej Desharaj, like a web-series, for which Prasanth had to adapt the screenplay into a feature film format, which took him eight months to finish. Varma's third release was '' Zombie Reddy'' (2021). It was originally scheduled for a release in 2020, but was indefinitely post-poned due to

COVID-19 lockdown in India On the evening of 24 March 2020, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21days, limiting movement of the entire 1.38billion (138 crore) population of India as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It wa ...

. Marketed as the first

zombie film A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror ...

in Tollywood (

), it opened to positive reviews and was success full 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" On 29 May 2021, he announced his next film '' Hanu Man.'' The film is marketed as the first Telugu superhero film. On 23 March 2022, he announced his next film with

D.V.V. Danayya D. V. V. Danayya (born Dasari Veera Venkata Danayya) is an Indian film producer who works in Telugu cinema. He started his career by co-producing the fantasy comedy film ''Jamba Lakidi Pamba'' in 1992. His filmography as producer/presenter inc ...

's son, Kalyan Dasari, titled, ''Adhira''. ''Adhira'', along with '' Hanu Man'', are intended to be part of his superhero cinematic universe.

Filmography

Other works

Feature films

* All films are in Telugu

References

External links

* {{Prasanth Varma Living people Film directors from Andhra Pradesh 21st-century Indian film directors People from Palakollu Telugu film directors Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh Telugu screenwriters Indian screenwriters Indian advertising directors 1989 births Indian film directors