“Summer holidays are no longer simple,” says Srikar Nayan, while discussing his debut directorial film, Summer Holidays. The Telugu film led by child actors Rohan Roy, Arundev Pothula and Khushi, is set in Andhra Pradesh in the early 2000s, amid mango farms, evoking memories of vacations in grandparents’ homes.
The film, which releases in theatres on November 6, Srikar says, is more than a throwback to simpler times. “We have been witnessing nostalgia-steeped stories, especially after the web series 90s – A Middle Class Biopic,” the director says from a studio in Hyderabad. “My story explores something further and has a few takeaways for adults.”
Explaining why he chose the 2000s over a contemporary context, he says, “Most children today are either glued to digital screens, go on holidays with their parents, attend summer camps or are asked to prepare for the next academic year. Even two decades ago, holidays were simpler. I wanted to capture that atmosphere of innocence.”
Hailing from Kakinada and having graduated in B.Tech from NIT Warangal, Srikar says some of his childhood memories inspired the writing, but the story is entirely fictional.
Srikar Nayan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Drawn to cinema, he moved to Hyderabad in 2019 and was determined to find a foothold in the industry. He worked as an assistant director on a few projects and simultaneously learnt screenwriting and developed a deeper understanding of cinema through online resources. “Video series on YouTube such as KRR Classroom (by director K Raghavendra Rao), writer Paruchuri Gopala Krishna’s Paruchuri Palukulu, and Ajay Vegesna’s Bommalatta helped me immensely,” he says.
Srikar was also inspired by late filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao’s guidelines during the pandemic, urging aspiring filmmakers to write two-page stories, each day, with a Telugu idiom as the theme.
“Jagadam, Happy Days, and Jersey are also among my favourite Telugu films and I watched them closely to understand screenwriting and filmmaking,” adds Srikar.
The idea for Summer Holidays took shape in 2024 and Srikar started writing on Ganesh Chaturthi. It began with a one-line idea of two school children, hailing from different backgrounds, coming together one summer. The story was initially titled ‘My Summer Friend’. One of the friends struggles to buy a pen, since his friends have moved on to using pens rather than pencils.
“I initially conceived it as a short film. As I kept writing, I realised it could be a feature film.” Srikar completed writing in February 2025, and sought the help of screenwriter Kondal Rao of KR Writings, who had worked on Committee Kurrollu. “As we improvised the script, we knew we had an engaging story,” says Srikar, who also mentions being awed by the 1997 Iranian film Children of Heaven, and the recent Tamil film Meiyazhagan. “I often wonder how the director (C Prem Kumar) convinced the producer that such a simple story of human relationships could make for an engaging, heartwarming film.”
Summer Holidays stars Jayasudha as the grandmother, Vasuki and Harshavardhan as the parents, and a number of child actors. A month of prep work involved training with the child artistes. “It was a lot of fun,” Srikar recalls. “The kids would cycle, swim, and play cricket, while competing with each other to learn their lines. I miss that fun atmosphere.”
The rural West Godavari setting, he says, was chosen for the mango farms that play an integral part in the story. “We chose to film in Thotavari Palem and nearby areas. The mango farms in this region have a distinct character, which helped the story.”
Srikar is confident that the audience will warm to a feel-good entertainer. “I think the audience has grown tired of films with blood and gore,” he says, adding that music composer Sinjith Yerramilli’s score will be a highlight of the film.
Published – November 05, 2026 07:00 am IST
