Best Tollywood Directors in 2018 Who Took Telugu Cinema To New Heights

Sukumar is the filmmaker. For a man with his brains, a commercial hit always played games with him. But he rode on his energy reserves to not only deliver a rustic village drama in the lines of classic Tamil films, but he also created box office tsunami. Moreover, he gave Ram Charan his best ever role. Nobody quite deserves an industry hit like him and he finally proved Rajamouli’s words that if Sukumar makes a proper mass film, rest of the others just have to clap and do nothing. 

Nah Ashwin is the man! After his debut with a middling hit like Yevade Subrahmanyam, he took the ultimate challenge of telling the story of Mahanati Savitri and the end result is the classic of all classics. The movie continued Tollywood’s track record of delivering India’s best biopics. Everyone associated with this film won high applause is just because of the vision of this one man.

Successful director Koratala Siva successfully rehashed his formula with another rehashed story and delivered one of the biggest hits of the year. The movie received overwhelmingly positive reviews and gave superstar Mahesh Babu a big hit after a gap of three years. Bharath Ane Nenu was even mentioned in the Indian Parliament.

C/o Kancharapalem is one of the most talked about films of the year 2018 and deservedly it went on to receive high critical acclaim and audience approval. Everyone who watched the movie hailed it as an experience. Right from choosing an authentically local cast to the way the film was narrated, both the producer (Praveena Paruchuri who also played a key role) and director Venkatesh maha did everything right. He is one of the young directors to watch out for.

Who watches experimental movies? Okay. Just make a film well and a star like Nani looks after everything. Prasanth Varma convinces Nani to turn a producer in itself is a big win and the ensemble cast and convincing sincerity in telling the story he believed in making the film a success.

One more Venky and one more victory (pun intended). If naming his film after the ultimate fan favorite film and 1990s classic is one thing, casting Varun Tej and Raashi Khanna as first-year engineering students is another thing. Right from the dialogues to slick direction, he proved himself to be a complete package as a director.

Sankalp Reddy needs no introduction to the Telugu audience. The youngster who made India’s first submarine film Ghazi also delivered the first space film in Telugu Cinema proper. From selecting stars like Varun Tej and Aditi Rao to the wonderful visual effects made on a tight budget, he is the pride of Telugu Cinema.

Class director Mohan Krishna Indraganti delivered one more classy hit in the form of Sammohanam (literally enchantment). The audience was enchanted is part of 2018 film history.

Talk about conviction. Ajay Bhupathi believed in his story which is based on the life of a real person. He made a star out of young actor Karthikeya and the film RX100 was the talk of the town for a long time. That the film spawned a slew of similar films shows the impact he created with his debut directorial.

The movie was postponed like nothing in recent memory in Tollywood. But what the makers did, made the film tick all the right boxes. The director who stood firm by his vision and delivered a thumping success with Taxiwala.

Every young director who set out to make a romantic comedy delivered a romantic drama (seriously guys, who watch romantic dramas these days at least?). But Venky Kudumula is an exception. While comedy was the USP of Chalo and Rashmika Mandanna the lifeline, it is the characterization of hero Naga Shaurya scores the brownie points. Deservedly, the movie went on to become the first blockbuster buster of the year in Tollywood.

Venu Udugula! Remember this name guys. All the youngsters who made their debut are one level and this man is on another level. To pull a film like Needi Naadi Oke Katha is no small feet and to do it quite authoritatively is another thing. Don’t get influenced by my word. But believe me. He is the best director this year alongside...

At one time, it seemed that every other weekend sees his films. As an actor. But it is as a director he made waves with Chi La Sow. A beautiful romantic comedy-drama, unlike anything we witnessed this year, the movie brought not only accolades but also a chance to direct King Nagarjuna.

The young director waited for Anushka until she is done with Bahubali movies and his wait paid off quite well. Bhaagamathie not only received positive reviews but also set the box office on fire literally.

Veteran fire for K. S. Ravikumar might not exactly have set the screen on fire but utilized all the strengths of Anaya Simha Balakrishna to the maximum extent. As several critics (including yours truly) noted, he balanced Balakrishna the star and Balakrishna the actor. The story is age-old is another matter as Jai Simha is the first hit for Tollywood in 2018.

All right! You may say the film was not a commercial success. Yes. The movie wasn’t even critical success. But the way he dealt with a challenging subject and delivered a film with several engaging moments is enough proof of his talent. A very good watch on the small screens.