'' Teja started by doing any work he could get, and ended up working in Tamil film shoots as a lighting assistant. After working in lighting and sound departments he moved into the camera department and worked under
Ravikant Nagaich, and W.B. Rao. He then took up assignments for documentaries presented in
National Geographic Channel. He then joined the bandwagon of Bollywood. Teja also worked as a crew member in films such as
Kshana Kshanam,
Rangeela,
Drohi,
Antham,
Gaayam, and
Govinda Govinda. Working as cinematographer, Teja used to frequently schedule Hindi film shoots in
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh as to spend more time with his wife and son. Many schedules were planned in
Ramoji Film City.
Chitram, Teja's directorial debut was planned entirely in Ramoji Film City on budget of forty lakh rupees. The film became a huge hit and paved way for a variety of new age romantic films in Tollywood. Teja gained notability post the release of
Nuvvu Nenu, an all-time blockbuster and one of year's highest grosser. The film received six
Nandi Awards and had a total run of three seventy five days. The film was also remade in Hindi starring
Tushar Kapoor and Anita Hassanandani. Teja's next film was
Nijam, was released in 2003 starring
Mahesh Babu and
Rakshitha in lead roles. Nijam was a low grosser at the box office but gained critical appraise. In the following year, Teja made
Jai. Actor
Navdeep debuted with the film, he was paired with
Santhoshini and
Ayesha Jhulka. The film had an average run. Teja later directed
Dhairyam and
Avunanna Kaadanna, simultaneously. Halfway through
Dhairyam's shoot, Teja dropped the project stating that the producer, N. Sudhakar Reddy,
Nithiin's father, had changed and edited a part of the film without his consent. Teja returned his remuneration, arranged a press meet, and declared that he had nothing to do with the film.
Dhairyam failed at the box office, whereas
Avunanna Kadanna had a seventy-five-day run and was declared a hit. ==Film distribution==