Srikanth Odela, the filmmaker behind Nani’s upcoming The Paradise? From assisting Sukumar to making his directorial debut with Dasara, Odela has built a distinct identity in Telugu cinema.
Entertainment desk
September 23, 2026 / 21:00 IST
Srikanth Odela has directed Nani starrer The Paradise
Sukumar’s assistant director Srikanth Odela has had a very impressing journey in Telugu cinema and has directed one of Nani’s biggest films. But who is the filmmaker behind The Paradise?
The Paradise is all set to hit the big screen and the focus has naturally been on Nani, the massive scale of the film and its intense promotional material. But behind the much talked about project is a relatively young filmmaker who has been slowly carving his own niche in Telugu cinema
Before making his directorial debut, Srikanth was an assistant to filmmaker Sukumar. His experience with Sukumar’s filmmaking ecosystem gave him an understanding of the craft but it was his directorial debut Dasara which cemented his name on the map.
From Sukumar’s assistant to the director
Srikanth Odela started his career in the industry as an assistant director under Sukumar.
That became a significant part of his filmmaking journey. But instead of simply replicating an established formula, Srikanth eventually found his own distinct visual and narrative sensibility.
His big breakthrough was Dasara, starring Nani and Keerthy Suresh.
In Dasara, which was set against the backdrop of the Telangana coal-mining region, the rustic atmosphere, local dialect, characters and emotional intensity were heavily relied upon. The film established Srikanth as a maker who prefers taking his audience deep into a world rather than showing a glossy version of it.
The success of Dasara gave the young director a chance to take the vision much further.
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A post shared by Srikanth Odela (@srikanthodela__)
And then there was The Paradise
Srikanth teamed up with Nani again for his 2nd film The Paradise.
But this time it’s on a much larger scale.”
Reports say the film is Nani’s highest-budget film so far, bankrolled by Sudhakar Cherukuri. It stars Kayadu Lohar, Mohan Babu, Raghav Juyal and Sonali Kulkarni.
Interestingly The Paradise is arriving without a conventional trailer, the makers instead using selected promotional material, music and overall atmosphere of the film to build curiosity.
The film has already created a huge buzz before its release with advance bookings said to be showing a lot of demand.
His work to date has been based on the people, places and experiences he knows. Rather than separating his personal memories from his cinema, he seems to be using them as creative material.
With Dasara, he looked into the rawness of a particular region and its people. He’s trying to take that rough, rustic sensibility and put it on a much larger canvas with The Paradise.
And that is perhaps the biggest question hanging over Srikanth Odela now: can a filmmaker who made his mark through grounded, regional storytelling successfully translate that sensibility onto a much bigger commercial canvas?
Who is Srikanth Odela?
He is no longer Sukumar’s former assistant or the director of Dasara.
In The Paradise, Srikanth Odela tries to carve out his own space as a filmmaker with a unique voice – a voice that is rooted in his childhood memories and the feelings of the people and places he has grown up with.
Nani might be the face you see on screen, but The Paradise is also a big test for the filmmaker behind the camera.
If the film manages to bring Srikanth’s raw vision onto its bigger canvas, it could be the next major chapter in the journey of the man who started as an assistant director and is now trying to make his own mark in Telugu cinema.
Entertainment desk Entertainment Desk at Moneycontrol reports on the celebrities, movies that shape India’s entertainment industry. With a sharp focus on cinema, OTT, web series, and latest trends, the entertainment desk delivers verified news, and analytical stories that place entertainment within a wider economic and cultural context. Our coverage goes beyond celebrity to examine how storytelling, audiences and business decisions influence one of the country’s most influential creative industries.
first published: Sep 23, 2026 09:00 pm
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