Kuberaa director Sekhar Kammula: I’m at a stage in my career where…

Telugu writer-director Sekhar Kammula is celebrating his silver jubilee in cinema with the release of his 11th film, Kuberaa, which will be in theatres on June 20, 2025. The Telugu-Tamil bilingual, led by Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Rashmika Mandanna, Jim Sarbh, among others, is said to be a tale of conflict over wealth and power, among others.

A National Award winner for his debut film Dollar Dreams, Sekhar’s last, Love Story was a box office hit and there are certain expectations of his next, Kuberaa. In a recent promotional interview for the film with the Hindu, Sekhar was asked about how he manages to remain relevant after all these years?

Also read: Sekhar Kammula Interview: Kuberaa is a story of extremes, Dhanush and Nagarjuna will shock you 

Sekhar Kammula: For me, the story is bigger than the director 

Happy that he has stayed and continues to stay relevant, Sekhar says that it’s not been easy ensuring that he does not go down the slippery slope of repeating himself as a writer-director. “It is dangerous for any writer-director to be repetitive with age, or if they just get carried away. I stay connected with people, and I don’t consider movies as business; it’s more art, which stems from being sensitive, socially-aware. All of this and the influences of my team, perhaps, is what it is,” he says.

Most importantly, though, Sekhar notes that he relies mostly on writing these days, for which he takes inputs from his co-writers as well. “I’m at a stage in my career where I consider the story bigger than the director. I give in to the story and try and make it happen, putting aside logistics, my comforts and style and that is why, I think I am still relevant,” he adds.

The filmmaker admits, though, that one of his biggest fears is that he will repeat himself at some point. Kuberaa, he notes, is very different from his films so far. The class conflict at the centre of the story excited the filmmaker. He pitted a multi-billionaire, selfish capitalist against a beggar who doesn’t care about anything and exists for the sake of existing, in the characters of Nagarjuna and Dhanush, respectively.

Sekhar believes that the novelty of his story is what will appeal to audiences. It’s the kind of film that will either have people going ‘wow’ or not connecting at all, he reckons.