“I’m Sriharsha Manne, born and raised in Hyderabad. My love for cinema ignited as a kid near Annapurna Film Studios in Jubilee Hills. We’d sneak in to watch shoots, but the film negatives truly hooked me. That spark endured despite life’s detours.
I studied BBA in Travel and Tourism from NITHM, Gachibowli (2008), blending management with my travel passion. Film dreams lingered, but pre-Instagram networking was tough. I joined Kingfisher Airlines as ground staff, handling ramp duties, schedules, and aircraft balance calculations. It built discipline, precision, and unique stories, plus daily celebrity sightings.
Kingfisher’s 2011 shutdown was my cue. In 2013, I assisted director Rajesh Touchriver on Naa Bangaaru Thalli (National Award for Best Telugu Film). I worked on three films with him, juggling night gigs at Tech Mahindra and Google Maps to grasp real lives for authentic writing.
In 2017, I joined P&O Cruises as entertainment staff for a three-month world cruise across the UK, Caribbean, US, New Zealand, Japan, Africa, and more. Every day brought a new country, culture, and scene, like living in a film.
Back home, I joined Tamada Media, producing and directing over 100 short-form videos, cover songs, and comedy sketches with creators like Lipsika and Pranav Chaganty. But the space felt influencer-driven, not filmmaker-driven.
That led me to work with Puri Jagannadh as chief associate on iSmart Shankar, Romantic, and Liger pre-production. Pandemic halted the work but I focused on my shelved script.
By 2022, I pitched it, got approval, and directed my debut: 14 Days (Girlfriend Intlo). Three months of pre-production and a 60-day shoot amid COVID waves resulted in a tight 90-minute indie with new faces. It had a decent theatrical run, premiered on Amazon Prime, trended, and received overwhelming feedback.
Now, I teach filmmaking at Annapurna College and run Writers’ Room workshops on practical filmmaking skills. Currently, I’m scripting my next project and chief associating on RAPO 22 with Ram Pothineni.
Every job—from airlines to cruises, tech to YouTube—built narratives. For me, life is cinema. This is just the start.”