Varisu is loaded with references to Vijay’s film and includes most of his iconic dialogues. For a Telugu director, who grew up in a small town near Hyderabad, how is he familiar with Tamil pop culture? His answer is twofold. “Kamal sir and Rajini sir have given big hits in Telugu. So, right from my childhood days, both industries used to blend well together and I have watched Tamil films as well. A lot of Tamil films have been remade in Telugu, and vice versa. So, there is no difference. The emotions are the same and people receive the emotions the same way. So, I think it is a beautiful interchanging of cultures.”
Secondly, many Kollywood directors have impacted his career and the way he looks at films, Paidipally says. This includes K Balachander, Mahendran, Bharathiraja, Mani Ratnam, Muthu Raman and others. “I like a lot of directors in Tamil cinema. I really love the way KS Ravikumar does the commercial kind of genre. But definitely, Mani Ratnam sir has created a lot of impact because the uniqueness in his films draws me. There is also Shankar sir, who is a showman and I think the way he presents a scene or song is just unbeatable.”