VDK’s “Badshah Roy”
By Imran Shaikh 24, May 2024
Since 2016, Senior Vishnu Dhev Kumar “VDK” Yogendran has been posting videos on his YouTube channel, VDK Productions. After experimenting with a multitude of mediums over the years—from dabbling in comedy sketches and gaming and even having a not-so-brief stint as a rapper—VDK has begun to gravitate towards a new type of creative content: filmmaking.
“From a young age, I aspired to be an actor. However, as I started to watch more films, I realized I wanted to be more than just a part of stories; I wanted to create them. As culturally diverse movies are being pushed to the forefront in Hollywood, I aim to create similar movies that feature my own Tamil culture,” VDK said.
VDK tinkered with different genres in his pursuit to create a memorable film: his first short film, “Murugesu,” delved into the world of horror, while his subsequent project, “The Wheel,” took a more dramatic and thoughtful perspective. However, it is with his third short film, “Badshah Roy,” that VDK seems to have found his calling, blending styles from both American and Tamil films.
“I was watching YouTube videos where stuntmen and action choreographers would review fight scenes from movies when the idea to create an action movie dawned on me. I was most excited to film the fights, so I choreographed them first, and then built a plot around them,” VDK said.
VDK also enjoyed filming with friends—most of the characters in “Badshah Roy” were based on his close friends. The titular, Badshah Roy, was inspired by Senior Abhishek Roy while the main antagonist, Sultan Shaikh, was inspired by yours truly, Senior Imran Shaikh.
Despite an almost nonexistent film budget, “Badshah Roy” had a successful premiere at the school’s Cinema Club, drawing in over 50 students. The crowning achievement, however, is the multiple awards that “Badshah Roy” has won—VDK earned “Best Debut Short Film” and “Best Debut Director” at Nitin International Film Festival in Malaysia, the country he was born and raised in, “Best Mobile Short Film,” “Best US Short Film” and “Best Debut Director” at Kodaikanal International Film Festival in Tamil Nadu, India and “Best Debut Director/Short Film” and “Best Debut Short Film” at the Kollywood International Film Festival in Chennai, India.
“I plan on pursuing film in college and hopefully afterwards as well. I actually just released a sequel to ‘Badshah Roy’: ‘Badshah V Sultan,’ which delves into the relationship between Badshah Roy and Sultan Shaikh. It is explosive and ruthless, so I suggest you check it out,” VDK said.
About the Contributors
Imran Shaikh
Editor in Chief
Imran Shaikh is a Senior at Leland High School and is the School News, Community News and Feature World Editor-in-Chief for The Charger Account. In his free time he likes to listen to music, play videogames and attempt to fix his sleep schedule.
