I’m from Hyderabad, born and raised. My love for cinema began right outside my school in Jubilee Hills. On our daily walks to and from school, we often passed by Annapurna film studios, and it wasn’t uncommon to stumble upon a shoot in progress. We were just a bunch of curious kids, but curiosity often triumphed over caution—we’d sneak in, climb over walls, and find ourselves on sets, wide-eyed and awestruck. What fascinated me the most were the film negatives. Just seeing them up close sparked something in me. In that moment, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
But life, as it does, took me on a different route first. I pursued a BBA in Travel and Tourism from NITHM, Gachibowli. At the time, the course was still new and unfamiliar to most, but it made sense to me. My family had a catering background, and I had a deep interest in travel. The curriculum was a solid mix—60% management and the rest hospitality and tourism—preparing us for managerial and logistical roles in the travel industry, not just front-end operations.
After graduating in 2008, I still had that dream of entering films, but the path wasn’t clear. This was before Instagram and easy networking. I figured the next best thing was proximity. If I joined the airline industry, maybe I’d get to meet actors and directors at the airport. That’s how I landed a job at Kingfisher Airlines as ground staff, a ground dispatcher, to be precise.
It was a demanding role, especially after GMR airport launched and traffic spiked to 32 flights a day. We worked under all kinds of weather, on the ramp, managing tight schedules and tougher conditions. The training was rigorous—30 days—and you needed to score at least 80% to stay. I learned time management, precision, and discipline. As a loading trim officer, I even handled aircraft balance calculations, work that required accuracy down to the decimal. It wasn’t glamorous, but it gave me something invaluable: stories that only someone who’s lived the chaos of airports could tell.
Being around celebrities was routine, though I always kept it professional. But even those fleeting glimpses into their world kept my passion alive. After long shifts, I’d go home and write—ideas, scenes, entire scripts. That inner fire never dimmed.
When Kingfisher shut down in 2011, I had options—Qatar Airways, other airlines—but I took that as my cue to chase my real dream. I started networking, and in 2013, I met director Rajesh Touchriver. He offered me a role as an assistant director on Naa Bangaaru Thalli. That film went on to win the National Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. For me, that was the true beginning.
Working with Rajesh sir was a learning curve like no other. I assisted on three films during that time, soaking up everything. To stay financially afloat, I worked night shifts—first at Tech Mahindra, then Google Maps. I wasn’t there for the paycheck alone—I wanted to understand different environments, the way systems work, so I could write about them authentically.
In 2017, I set myself a new goal: travel the world before I turned 30. I combined my past experiences in aviation and entertainment and joined P&O Cruises as entertainment staff. It was surreal. We went on a three-month world cruise that took us from the UK to the Caribbean, across the US, New Zealand, Japan, Africa, and more. Every day brought a new country, a new culture, a new scene to observe. It felt like living inside a film. Of course, not every day was smooth—we had rough seas and tougher days—but I saw them as stories in the making. All of it added to my narrative toolkit.
After returning, I joined Tamada Media, where I show produced & directed over 100 short-form videos, cover songs, comedy sketches, content with creators like Lipsika and Pranav Chaganty. I was part of launching channels like Pakkinti Kurradu and Babloo. It was exciting, but I soon realised that the space was more influencer-driven than filmmaker-driven.
That realisation led me to work with Puri Jagannadh garu as his chief associate. I worked on iSmart Shankar, Romantic, and began pre-production on Liger. Just as Liger was getting into motion, the pandemic hit. Everything came to a halt. But in that pause, I found space to focus on something I had shelved for years—my own script.
By 2022, as things started returning to normal, I pitched my story. It was approved, and I finally got the chance to direct my debut film—“14 Days Girlfriend Intlo.”
We spent three months in pre-production. The shoot itself spanned 60 days, interrupted at times by COVID waves. By 2023, the film was ready. It was an indie project, cast with new faces, so we didn’t chase a wide theatrical release. Instead, we focused on strong preview screenings for students—at Ramanaidu Film School, Annapurna Film School, and through my own initiative at the Writers’ Room. My goal was clear: once they hit play, they shouldn’t want to hit pause.
We kept the film tight—just 90 minutes. And it worked. The film had a decent run and premiered on Amazon Prime, started trending, and the feedback was overwhelming. Puri garu, Akash Puri, family, friends, even critics—everyone appreciated it. Deccan Chronicle and Sakshi both gave it 3 stars. As a debut director, I couldn’t have asked for more.
Today, I teach filmmaking at Annapurna College of Film & Media and run workshops through the Writers’ Room. I never went to film school myself—everything I know, I learned on the ground. That’s the kind of experience I now try to share. I focus on the practical aspect—how to plan, shoot smart, work within constraints, and avoid rookie mistakes. I even take my students onto live sets at.Filmmaking isn’t just about frames and focus—it’s about surviving and thriving in the chaos.
I’ve traveled across continents, crossed the Equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. I’ve managed aircraft in turbulence and cameras in equally turbulent sets. I’ve lived lives that gave me stories no one else can tell.
Right now, I’m working on my next script. After watching my film & my work in iSmart Shankar, Ram Pothineni garu invited me to join his film, RAPO 22, as chief associate. It feels like a full-circle moment.
Everything I’ve done—airlines, cruise ships, tech jobs, YouTube, film sets—was never just about earning a living. It was always about collecting perspective, building narrative muscle, and living stories worth telling. For me, life is cinema. And this is only the beginning.
- Sriharsha Manne, Filmmaker