Is There This Much Story Behind 'Dhandha'? Director Opens Up

Director Aditya Devulapalli, who gained recognition with the hit vertical series ‘Dhandha’ on Chai Shots, shared details about his filmmaking journey and the success of the series. He revealed that he left engineering to pursue his passion for cinema and achieved his dream of becoming a director before the age of 28. Without any film industry background, he learned photography, studied mass communication, and gradually entered the entertainment industry.

Speaking about ‘Dhandha’, Aditya said the original story was written by Vijay Kumar, but he rewrote nearly 40% of the script to strengthen the characters and narrative. He credited Chai Shots for trusting his vision and said the series was created to bring a fresh cinematic experience to the vertical storytelling format. According to him, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with no negative reviews so far.

Aditya believes that making micro dramas is more challenging than directing feature films, as every scene must instantly capture the audience's attention. He even remarked that nearly 80% of mainstream film directors would struggle to make an engaging micro drama because of its demanding pace and storytelling style. He praised actors Dorasai Teja, Nithin Prasanna, cinematographer Ashwin Lenin, and music director Rishi M for their contribution to the project.

Looking ahead, Aditya confirmed that his next feature film will once again star Dorasai Teja and promised it would be "five times wilder than Dhandha". He also revealed that he is currently writing a powerful story centered around a 50 year old criminal, with an official announcement expected in the coming months.