I work with newcomers because my story demands it: Sekhar

Chennai, Sep 18 (IANS) Telugu director Sekhar Kammula says he has nothing against working with big heroes, and admits he loves working with newcomers as his story demands them.

"I love working with newcomers because my story demands it and moreover they're fun to work with. It's easy working with them because I can effortlessly connect and extract the best out of them," Sekhar told IANS over phone from Hyderabad.

"The bigger responsibility is to nurture and train them to deliver what I want. If my story requires working with bigger heroes, I'll definitely look forward to work (with them)," he added.

A post graduate in Computer Science, Sekhar has directed Telugu films like "Dollar Dreams", "Anand", "Godavari", "Happy Days" and "Leader".

His new film "Life is Beautiful", which released Sep 14, is a coming-of-age story of six youngsters living in a gated colony.

"This film will bring forth memories of living in a larger neighbourhood or colony, which unfortunately we don't get to see lately. People have moved into smaller, private apartments and therefore have missed what it is like living in a colony. It will be a nostalgic trip down the memory lane," said the 40-year-old.

Southern actresses Akkineni Amala and Angela Zaveri have made a comeback with the film.

Asked about working with the actresses, Sekhar said: "Both are professionals and need no special training in acting. I wrote the script keeping them in mind. Hence, I had to cast them. I thoroughly loved working with them and I'm sure the audience will too."

Shot in about 140 days, mostly in a set in Padma Rao Nagar - Hyderabad, "Life is Beautiful" released in more than 50 theatres in the US.

The film also stars Shriya Saran, and six newcomers - Abhijeet Duddala, Sudhakar Komakula, Kaushik, Shagun Kaur, Zara Shah, Rashmi Shashtry and others. Click the Movie button below for more info:
Life is Beautiful