A dentist turns film director!

Tollywood has been talking about a small film Vellipomake, which is going to hit the screens soon. The film is directed by Yakub Ali, an aspiring director, who is a dentist by profession. The film is also in the news because popular producer Dil Raju has decided to release it.

Hailing from Jayaram village near Warangal, Yakub admits he always wanted to become a director, but his father asked him to complete his education first. He says, “I am passionate about films and wanted to become a filmmaker. But I never expressed this at home, be-cause I knew that they wouldn’t agree to it.” Coming from a family of doctors, Yakub completed his BDS (Bachelor in Dental Surgery) in Vijayawada and started his practice in Hyderabad.

It was only after he completed his dental course that Yakub told his father that he wanted to enter the film industry. His father responded with a two-year deadline, failing which he had to return to his job as dentist. “Vellipomake was also inspired by my friend’s life, while I added a few cinematic scenes,” he says.

Yakub did not approach any producer or director when he joined the industry. “I joined Ramanaidu Film School where I studied filmmaking,” he says. Days were spent at school and nights at the clinic to earn money. “Once I completed the diploma in acting school, I decided to do my own film,” he says.

He prepared his own script and two friends supported him financially. In fact, Yakub juggled several roles for this film — that of director, writer, costume designer, story writer and production designer. Interestingly, Yakub turned to social media to rope in new artistes for his film, finally selecting Vishwak Sen, who studied acting at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, as the lead actor.

The film was completed in four months, mostly shot in Hyderabad. Yakub says, “Before the shoot, we did many rehearsals. Each day, I would check the output and reshoot the next day if it wasn’t good. We did not make this film for a Youtube release or to make money. We made a film based on my ideas.”

The film trailer on Youtube attracted a lot of attention. “I got a call from Dil Raju’s office and we met him. After watching it, he immediately said that he wanted to release it,” says Yakub. After Dil Raju entered the picture, big directors like Sukumar and Vamsi Paidipalli watched and praised the film.

“Dil Raju garu suggested a few changes but appreciated the quality of the film which was made in a very limited budget," says Yakub, remaining tight-lipped on the details of the budget.

The film is all set to hit the screens soon. After watching Vellipomake, Dil Raju even asked him to prepare another script to produce. “It’s been two years of hard work for our team and we got paid for it,” says Yakub.