‘I don't make films to impress; I make them to stir emotions'

Time of India

15-05-2025

In an industry drawn to high-concept spectacle, director
Buchi Babu Sana
has stood out for his insistence on emotional storytelling rooted in everyday village life. As he steps into his second directorial,
Peddi
, starring
Ram Charan
, the National Award-winning filmmaker takes a moment to look back on his childhood in coastal Andhra, his mentor
Sukumar
's influence, and why he always believed that
Uppena
would find both critical and commercial success.
'My family didn't support my dream, so I joined MBA to keep them happy'
Buchi Babu's early journey into
cinema
was marked by hesitation at home and quiet persistence in Hyderabad. 'My family didn't want me to be in films. My sister is a plastic surgeon and they expected something similar from me,' he says. 'To convince them, I joined an MBA course in Hyderabad. I used to attend classes till afternoon and then head to Sukumar sir's office. That routine led me to assist him on films like Arya 2, 100% Love, and Rangasthalam, which helped me gradually build my base in the industry.'
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'Sukumar sir showed me who I was meant to be'
The most pivotal connection in his life remains that with director Sukumar, who was once his maths lecturer in Kakinada. 'He used to come to college on a BSA SLR cycle, and I'd sit behind him. I still remember that,'
Buchi Babu
shares. 'When I told him I wanted to make films, he said, 'Cinema is already there inside you. It came out because you kept looking at me.' Years later, watching Arya changed everything for me. I realised that if Sukumar sir could do it, so could I.'
'I always believed Uppena would win a National Award'
Uppena wasn't just Buchi Babu's directorial debut — it was a film that defied the norms, pairing a relatively unknown cast with a deeply emotional storyline that went on to become a box-office hit. But even before the film was made, Buchi Babu had complete faith in its power. 'I shared the climax with Sukumar sir when we were working on Rangasthalam. He was shocked. He said, 'No one will do this.' I told him, 'Just wait till I write it.'' When he finally presented the full draft, Sukumar came around. 'He said, 'Let's do it. This is solid.' I always believed that Uppena would make ₹100 crores and win a National Award. I used to say it out loud even when no one else believed it.'
'Peddi is an emotional ride I've waited years to write'
Buchi Babu says he'd been carrying the story of Peddi in his heart for years — a narrative that blends the grit of sport with deep emotional stakes. 'It's not just about cricket. The game is only a backdrop. The emotion is what drives it.' Set in Vizianagaram and deeply rooted in North Andhra's culture and dialect, Peddi felt like the story he was meant to tell. When he narrated it to Ram Charan two years ago, the actor didn't hesitate. 'Charan garu has gone through a huge physical transformation for this,' Buchi Babu shares, adding, 'We did multiple look tests. He was fully involved from the beginning.' Drawing comparisons to Rangasthalam, he adds, 'If that was Chitti Babu's story, this is Peddi's. This character is earthy, grounded, and very close to who he is off-screen too. And when the camera rolls, he becomes a completely different person — he doesn't settle, always wants one more take. That kind of hunger is rare.'
'
AR Rahman
garu gave us 30 options for every song'
One of the most awaited aspects of Peddi is AR Rahman's return to Telugu cinema. 'It's a dream come true,' says Buchi Babu, adding, 'For each song, he gave us 20 to 30 options. And the background score is something else entirely. Rahman sir told me he connects with my stories because they have emotion.'
Quotes:
No matter what genre I explore in the future, all my films will be high on emotion. I don't know how to tell a story without it. I like challenging audience perceptions and constantly set almost impossible targets and strive to reach them. I'm drawn to doing things that no one else has tried before
I don't go looking for stories in big cities. I look around my street, my town. The way people talk, the way they love or fight — that's where my cinema begins
- Paul Nicodemus