It was on 7 May 2004 that Telugu cinema gave birth to a new-age director who shattered conventions with his romantic-comedy ‘Arya’. Director Sukumar burst forth on the scene with a new narrative sense and visual style. His debut film remade Icon star Allu Arjun, who became synonymous with style.
Sukumar’s second film, ‘Jagadam’, was an action film with rare sensibilities. It presented energetic star Ram Pothineni as a mass hero. Sukumar demonstrated his ability to conceive mass moments without falling back on run-of-the-mill templates.
‘Arya 2′, once again, was a film that showed Sukumar as someone who can drive emotions mainly based on characterizations. The film featured excellent songs made special by his Midas Touch. Yuva samrat Naga Chaitanya’s 100% Love’ was remarkable in terms of how a flawed male lead could have a terrific character arc.
Prince Mahesh Babu-starrer ‘1: Nenokkadine’, with its slick action and unique emotional quotient, was compelling in many ways. Sukumar showed that you don’t have to be conventional and play safe while doing a superstar movie. Like that film, Young tiger NTR stareer ‘Nannaku Prematho’, too, showcased Sukumar’s penchant for intelligent screenplay-writing.