Deva Katta

Deva Katta
Katta at IFFI (2010)
Born	May 24[1] Eluru, Andhra Pradesh
Alma mater	Wayne State University
Occupations	Film director producer screenwriter

Deva Katta is an Indian American film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He directed cult classic Telugu movies such as Vennela (2005), Prasthanam (2010), Autonagar Surya (2014), and Republic (2021). In 2010, Prasthanam was showcased in the Indian Panorama section at the International Film Festival of India.[2] The film also won two Filmfare awards including Filmfare South Critics Award for Best Film and Nandi Award for Best Feature Film in 2010.[3]

Deva Katta (right), being felicitated at IFFI (2016)

Early life

Deva Katta was born in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh. His father, Niranjan Naidu Katta, hails from Kadapa, while his mother hails from Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh. He holds a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.[4] He worked as a vehicle crashworthiness expert at General Motors. He is a naturalized American citizen.[3]

Career

He graduated from film school before making a digital documentary film about Indian students in the United States, which was titled Valasa. He then debuted as a successful writer and director with the romantic comedy flick Vennela, portraying Indian students in America.[5][6][7]

In 2015, Katta teamed up with actor Vishnu Manchu for the film Dynamite. It is a remake of the Tamil film Arima Nambi and Katta's only remake till date. Katta, however, said that he shot the film for nine days only and walked out due to creative differences.[8] Katta was credited as the film's director nonetheless.[9] In one of his interviews, he mentioned that Prasthanam, Autonagar Surya, and Republic are his Quadriology on society which shows the perspective of Politician (Legislative), Bureaucrat (Executive), and common man (voter) on society, currently he is working on the final part of the Quadriology which shows the perspective of a judicial person (Judiciary) on society.[10]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Feature films

List of films directed and written

Year	Title	Language	Notes	Ref.
2005	Vennela	Telugu	Debut film
2010	Prasthanam	Telugu	International Film Festival of India Nandi Award for Best Feature Film (Bronze) Filmfare Critics Award for Best Telugu Film
2014	Autonagar Surya	Telugu
2019	Prassthanam	Hindi	Remake of Prasthanam
2021	Republic	Telugu		[11]
2025/26	JDR-working title	Telugu	Pre-Production

Web series

List of web series directed and written

Year	Title	Director	Screenwriter	Producer	Notes
2025	Mayasabha: Season 1	Yes	Yes	Yes	In Post Production	SonyLiv; Produced by Hitmen & Proodos

Short films

List of short films directed and written

Year	Title	Notes
2015	Dying to Be Me

Acting roles

• D for Dopidi (2013) as A.C.P. Krishnamachari

References

1. "Sai Dharam Tej wishes director Deva Katta on his birthday". The Times of India. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
2. Suresh Krishnamoorthy (22 October 2010). "NATIONAL / ANDHRA PRADESH : 'Prasthanam' gets a place in Indian Panorama". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
3. Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (22 October 2010). "'Prasthanam' gets a place in Indian Panorama". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
4. TelanganaToday. "Deva Katta is game for experimental cinema". Telangana Today. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
5. Dying to be Me - A Short Film by Deva Katta. YouTube. 14 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
6. Subuhi Parvez (19 August 2015). "Why Every Indian Woman, and Man, Should Watch This Short Film". NDTV.com.
7. "Dying to be Me - An awesome short film by Deva Katta". South Report. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
8. "Deva Katta: The director who told everything that happened behind that movie‌! » Jsnewstimes". Jsnewstimes. 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
9. "Dynamite Movie Review". The Times of India. 4 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015.
10. "Director Deva katta Sensational Interview | Republic Movie | Box Office #3 | Sai Dharam Tej | FT". YouTube. 2 December 2021.
11. "Sai Dharam Tej And Deva Katta Film To Start Shoot In October". Sakshi Post. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.

External links

• Deva Katta at IMDb