New kid on the block

Ashok, the nephew of popular director Sukumar, is waiting for his debut film Darsakudu, which is releasing this Friday. “I was never interested in acting, but wanted to direct,” reveals Ashok, adding that he worked as an assistant director with his uncle Sukumar for Mahesh Babu starrer 1-Nenokkadine. “My uncle’s friend, Hari Prasad narrated, a story to him, which he liked very much. Once the bound script was ready, Sukumar asked him to direct the film. Hari Prasad then wanted to rope me in as the lead actor.”

He adds, “I was surprised with their decision because I wanted to direct a film, but Hari Prasad made me switch to acting. Later, I shed eight kilos,  changed my look and did a lot of rehearsals and workshops. My experience as an assistant director helped me overcome camera fear.” 

Ashok admits that he struggled for the first few days of the shooting, but the rehearsals helped him to do well.  

The trailer of the film shows a kissing scene, so was that difficult for him to do, especially since he is a shy guy? “My director asked me to do it all of a sudden as he wanted to capture spontaneous emotions, so I just did it,” he says.

So what advice did Sukumar give him? “He complimented me after watching the film and told me not to leave direction, which is my passion. I have a few story ideas too,” he says.

Talking about the film, he says that Darsakudu is not about a person’s struggle in the film industry. “It is a love story between a director and a fashion designer,” explains Ashok. 

However, despite his uncle’s pat on the back, Ashok admits that he is quite tense as to how the audience will respond to his film.