Srikanth Odela: The Three-Year Wait That Led Him to Sukumar’s Team!

Director Srikanth Odela has revealed an inspiring chapter from the early days of his film journey. Speaking during a recent conversation with lyricist Kasarla Shyam, Srikanth said that his biggest ambition when entering the film industry was to work under star director Sukumar. However, getting an opportunity to meet Sukumar was not easy, so he chose an unusual way to make himself noticed. At the time, Sukumar was living in an apartment in Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad, and Srikanth would reportedly reach the building around 5 a.m. every day and quietly wait downstairs.

According to Srikanth, Sukumar would return home late at night after story discussions and script work, while Srikanth would still be there when he came out the next morning. He would simply greet him with “Good morning sir, good night sir” and leave without saying anything more. This continued consistently for nearly three years. Eventually, Sukumar noticed his persistence and questioned him about who he was and why he kept waiting there. Srikanth then explained his passion for cinema and his strong desire to work in Sukumar’s direction department. Impressed by his determination, Sukumar reportedly gave him a few tests and later brought him into his direction team. Srikanth went on to work as an assistant director on Nannaku Prematho and Rangasthalam. After making his mark with Dasara, he is now among the most talked-about young directors with The Paradise.