Sashi Kiran Tikka

Sashi Kiran Tikka is a Telugu film director and screenplay writer. Audiences know him best for two films he directed, the espionage thriller Goodachari (2018) and the biographical action drama Major (2022). Major earned him a nomination for Best Director – Telugu at the 2023 Filmfare Awards South. Tikka learned filmmaking on set, working as an assistant director under Sekhar Kammula on the political drama Leader (2010). His first film as director was Goodachari (2018). Critics took note of it, and its way of telling a story was talked about well beyond Telugu audiences. Four years later he directed Major (2022) and also wrote its screenplay. The film follows the life of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and it drew wide attention across India. In 2024 he presented Satyabhama and wrote its screenplay. Tikka is known for thrillers that rely on careful, well-shaped storytelling, a strength that first stood out in Goodachari. With Major, he showed he could turn a true story of courage and sacrifice into a film for a national audience. Writing sits at the heart of his work, and he has shaped screenplays both for films he directs and for films he presents. His Filmfare nomination for Major remains the main honour of his career.