The origin of the Telugu web series Toastheadlined by Trisha Krishnanwhich will stream on Sony LIV on August 2, can be traced back to the time when its writer-director Surya Manoj Vangala came across incidents involving ritualistic, superstitious practices such as human sacrifices. “In 2015-16, I read about an incident in Uttar Pradesh. I then learnt about certain practices in other regions as well. Extremely polarising debates on these issues got me thinking,” reminisces the debut director, when we meet for an interview at a cafe in Hyderabad.
Set in a fictional town, Toast traces the journey of its protagonist — Trisha as a cop — investigating a series of such incidents. The more she unearths, the more she faces questions for which there are no easy answers, explains Surya.
Toast is the culmination of years of writing and nurturing directorial dreams for Surya. Hailing from Visakhapatnam, he grew up in a family far removed from the film industry. His father worked at an insurance company, while his mom was a homemaker. Surya and his two older brothers were academically inclined. “One of my brothers joined IIT, another joined BITS Pilani, and I followed suit. I was also interested in classical music and trained in Carnatic music. My interest in music made me curious about the stories behind songs.”
Academics to cinema
Surya Manoj Vangala (centre), on the sets of ‘Brinda’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
While studying Information Systems at BITS Pilani, Surya found himself drawn towards cinema more than ever. “Attending classes was not mandatory, so I would often watch world cinema with friends.” As the interest in cinema grew, he looked for work opportunities in the industry. “I emailed directors Sekhar Kammula, Deva KattaAjay Bhuyan, and others, introducing myself as a BITS Pilani student, hoping to catch their attention since they also came from an academic background.”
Surya was working for an automobile company in Chennai when he received a call from Anish Kuruvilla. He quit his job, moved to Hyderabad and joined the directorial team of Anish’s Ante Koti. He later worked with Sekhar Kammula for Anamika and Hanu Raghavapudi for Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha and Padi Padi Hot Milkand with Ramesh Varma for Rakshasudu.
Learning from Sekhar Kammula, Hanu Raghavapudi
Surya observed the filmmakers and learnt as much as he could. “In terms of ideas and ideology, I would try to emulate Sekhar sir. In terms of technique, I would apply what I learnt from Hanu sir. For example, I learnt how to conduct myself on set by observing Sekhar sir. His approach to life and work are holistic. If Hanu sir wants 24 moves in a scene, each move would be choreographed and the camera and lights would be placed accordingly; the shots would be cut specifically for those moves.”
Surya Manoj Vangala
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
When Surya decided to venture out on his own, it involved a long writing journey. “Normally a feature film would have a 120-page script, approximately one page for a minute of footage. I wrote more than 400 pages, as I delved deeper into the story.”
Soon, screenwriter Padmavathi Malladi (who was part of the writing team of Mahanati) came on board to help finetune the screenplay. Shashank Vennelaganti was the script consultant. “In addition, some of my crew and friends such as Ashish Kolla (brother of production designer Avinash Kolla), dialogue writer Jay Krishna, music composer Shakti Kanth Karthick and lyricist Rakendu Mouli, gave me objective feedback.”
Through the narrative of ToastSurya tried to address the debate on ritualistic practices and what defines a rational approach. “The writing went through several drafts and with time, I conveyed a few thoughts concisely. For instance, the lines in the teaser — implying that our battles are not only against our anger, hatred, and betrayals but also to not let the goodness within us fade away — were initially a page-long text; it was compressed in subsequent drafts.”
Surya had initially planned Toast as a feature film, but as he delineated the characters and the story, it evolved as a web series. With the help of his friend Ashish, he pitched it to Sony LIV in mid-2021. “The writing structure for web series demands a prologue before the title credits in each episode, a beginning, middle, and an end with a hook point. It was a good exercise in writing.”
Swift execution
Trisha in ‘Brinda’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
He pitched the story to Trisha with a detailed script. Though initially hesitant to take up a web series, he says she was hooked to the narrative and gave her nod. Soon, actors Ravindra Vijay, Indrajith Sukumaran, Anandsami and others came on board. Surya recalls script-reading sessions involving each of the key actors reading their Telugu lines and offering suggestions to each other. “As a debutant, it was a dream to watch all these actors read and discuss my script.”
Such preparation ensured that no time was wasted on set. Toast went on floors in October 2021. The cast and crew worked swiftly; at times, filming footage worth five to six minutes of screen time in a day. “For a feature film, normally footage for two minutes would be filmed in a day,” he points out. “Toast involved 330-minute footage, and we filmed this in 76 days. Since it is an investigative drama, we moved locations frequently and despite that, kept up the momentum,” adds Surya, crediting his production and direction teams and cinematographer Dinesh Babu. Toast was filmed in Hyderabad, Pochampalli, and in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.
The web series has garnered attention since it marks Trisha’s entry into digital space, and Surya says her presence is an asset. “Trisha is a thorough professional; she brings in finer nuances and makes it look effortless.”
Surya is now working on a feature film script and is awaiting a response to Toast. “There were times when I wondered if I was getting indulgent in my writing process. In the meantime, some of my contemporaries (Vivek Athreya, Sankalp, Ravi Kiran Kolla and Hasith Goli among others) went on to direct feature films. But it has been an interesting journey.”
