Vinay Ratnam: I wanted my first feature to be in Telugu, no matter what

Vinay Ratnam's debut Telugu feature film, Sri Chidambaram Garu, releases February 6 after years of dedication and perseverance.

At 27, Vinay Ratnam is counting down to the release of his first feature film, Sri Chidambaram Garu. The Telugu film, which hits theatres on February 6, marks the culmination of years of persistence. “We held a preview in Visakhapatnam over the weekend, and the audience response was heartwarming,” he says.

Vinay’s feature debut follows a steady apprenticeship: 25 short films and a long short, Saagu, which travelled widely on the festival circuit. A self-taught filmmaker, he relied on publicly available resources and books on screenplay writing to understand the craft. “I grew up watching Telugu cinema and was determined not to give up on making films. I even discontinued engineering because I didn’t want a fallback option,” he says.

Saagu proved to be the turning point. The film made it to the Top 100 Films at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival 2024 and won Best Debut Director and Best Film at the Polish International Film Festival. “I remember saying then that I hoped Saagu would be my springboard to a feature,” Vinay recalls.

VInay Ratnam | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The idea for Sri Chidambaram Garu took shape four years ago and involved nearly a year-and-a-half of writing. Initially conceived as part of an anthology and pitched to OTT platforms, the story was shelved when anthologies fell out of favour. “That’s when I reworked it into a full-length feature,” he says.

Festival recognition helped Vinay pitch the script to multiple producers. While the story found appreciation, many were hesitant about its commercial viability with newcomers in lead roles. Vinay, however, was firm. Set in Kollangi hamlet in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district — a village without electricity or mobile connectivity — the film demanded fresh faces to retain authenticity.