Speaking at the OG Concert on Sunday, Pawan Kalyan suggested that his career as a director didn't take off because he didn't have a creative directorial team. In the early 2000s, PK had the burning desire of making movies as a director. Johnny's disastrous failure was the biggest setback to his dream. He announced Satyagrahi two years later but the film remained a mere idea.
It's telling that Pawan Kalyan, despite being the biggest star of his generation, couldn't assemble a solid team of ADs and associates. This is essentially an issue that pervades the Telugu film culture.
Usually, the first AD meticulously analyzes the script to identify all the necessary elements for each scene, such as props, costumes, special effects, and a list of cast and extras needed.
The studio culture is relatively better off in Bollywood. Many actors, including Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, and Arjun Kapoor, gained a deeper understanding of filmmaking by working as assistant directors before their acting debuts. This experience gives them a unique perspective and appreciation for the entire production process. Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, has debuted as a director. It goes to show how important learning behind the camera is to these guys. In Tollywood, the direction teams seem to be less organized in their approach, and probably underpaid grossly, much like writers.
