Shuttler-turned-filmmaker Sarat Palanki shares his journey of following his passion

When Saina Nehwal recently shared the logo of a film Ala, congratulating a certain Sarat Palanki for his debut film, many wondered who he was and how and why did Saina decide to endorse him. Well, we’ve learnt that Sarat might be starting his new innings in cinema but has had a long history with badminton. “I played the game for 14 years and Saina, Kashyap (Paidipallu) were among some of the players who I used to train with,” reveals the director who is the son of well-known badminton coach Bhaskar Babu after whom the Bhaskar Babu Li Ning stadium in the outskirts of Hyderabad is named.

Having reached at the top level in the game, with a high ranking at the national level and several awards to his credit, the decision to quit the sport came as a huge surprise to his family and friends.

“My dad was obviously upset. Everyone tried to convince me to stay put in the game. I remember even Gopi anna (Pullela Gopichand) told me the same. But I didn’t listen; I was convinced. And I am glad I made the choice. Nothing has been more exciting for me,” he says as he recalls, “I was going to send a fax to the Sports Authority of India about my decision and just then the power went off. A friend who had come along said that it’s a sign that I shouldn’t quit. But the power was back in two minutes and I went ahead anyway. Today, he’s producing my film.”

The journey since
In 2006 when he bid adieu to the game, he knew he wanted to pursue filmmaking. “I knew it wouldn’t be an easy journey but I was willing to take the risk purely for my passion. I have since then worked on ad films and have even been ghostwriting for a couple of people. I have learnt almost every craft of filmmaking and I am a professional editor. I even designed the poster of my film,” he says proudly.

Ala is a story he wrote inspired by the people of Visakhapatnam and their wish to stay in the city, come what may. “They don’t like moving from there. It was the first story I wrote. I have written 15 stories since. But this is what I wanted to start with,” he says as he talks to us from Visakhapatnam where he’s shooting for the film. He plans to release the film in the summer.