Krish J. Sathaar & Kota Srinivasa Rao Movies Together List — 3 Films

The shape of the work

Krish J. Sathaar acted in every film; Kota Srinivasa Rao acted in all of them.

Partnership facts

• Krish J. Sathaar was a debutant director when he cast Kota Srinivasa Rao in 'Malini 22 Vijayawada' (2013). Kota was already a legend. Krish later admitted he was terrified to give Kota directions on set.
• In 'Malini 22 Vijayawada', Kota played a corrupt cop. Krish made him underplay every scene — no shouting, no mannerisms. Kota later said it was the quietest villain role he ever did.
• After 'Malini 22 Vijayawada' became a hit, Krish and Kota stayed in touch. But when the sequel 'Malini 22 Palayamkottai' (2014) bombed hard, they didn't speak for nearly a year. They patched up only when Krish offered Kota 'Ghatana' (2016).
• The success of 'Malini 22 Vijayawada' directly led to a wave of small-town crime thrillers in Telugu cinema. Films like 'Kshanam' (2016) and 'Anamika' (2014) owe their green light to the template this pair helped create.
• Kota Srinivasa Rao once told a fan: 'Krish is the only director who made me act like a normal human being. I didn't need to chew betel nut or scream. He just said, "Sir, be still." That was harder than any loud role.'
• In 'Ghatana' (2016), Krish wrote a scene where Kota's character breaks down crying. Kota refused to use glycerin. He asked Krish to just keep the camera rolling. He cried on cue for 4 minutes straight. Krish said the crew was silent for 10 seconds after 'cut'.