Hyderabadi filmmaker Raja Pothineni is on a roll. His 15-minute short film, 60 Eight, premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, to “an overwhelming response”. “I am absolutely stoked. I worked hard for this, and to be rewarded this way feels great,” enthuses Raja.

The film, written, edited and directed by Raja, revolves around John, who spends 52 years in a state of comatose, after having survived a near-fatal car accident when he was eight years old, and wakes up at 60, after a meeting with his childhood friend Sarah.

“It took me a whole year to make this film. Since it begins in the 1960s, I had to do a lot of research to make the scenes look accurate. Even small things, like sourcing medical equipment from that time, took a lot of time and effort. I also held seven-eight casting sessions to finalise the cast, since I wanted the actresses who portray the different ages of Sarah to look similar,” recalls Raja, throwing light on the extensive pre-production work that went into making the film.

All the hard work seems worth it though when the feedback is so encouraging, reckons Raja. “people who’ve watched the film tell me they loved the authentic the story-telling and the depth of the characters. I’m not getting carried away though. I’ve got to move forward and outdo myself; there is no time to rest on laurels.”

The response is affirmation enough for what Raja wants his style of film-making to be. “Authenticity is what I want. I don’t like movies that are pushed down our throats; the ones where emotions are squeezed out of every scene. The Indian audience is exposed to a lot of mainstream cinema and they’re aware now when the acting is manipulative. Mine is a more minimalistic approach and I try to be as invisible as possible. I let the cast react naturally without pre-conceived notions. That allows space for the audience to interpret freely,” says the Telugu boy spent most of his childhood in Vijayawada.

So, does he plan to foray into Tollywood? “Of course! Tollywood is where my roots are. I am working on two Telugu scripts. Nani and Tamannah are my favourite actors. In fact, I’d love to work with Nani in the future. His acting is just effortless,” admits Raja, who also reserves special praise for his cousin, actor Ram Pothineni .

“We talk very often and give each other a lot of feedback. I loved his work in Nenu… Sailaja. He is always evolving as an actor, and has a maturity that belies his age. But that doesn’t come as a surprise; he was always a very dedicated person, right from childhood,” he says, signing off.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / Deepa Joseph, TNN / May 21st, 2016