Sathyasiva made his directorial debut with Kazhugu (2012), a film about people who recover bodies of suicide victims who jump off cliffs, with Kreshna and Bindu Madhavi forming the lead cast.
[2] Likewise, Malathi Rangarajam from The Hindu wrote: "It's heartening to see young filmmakers daring to steer clear of stereotypes.
[4] The director then chose to rename the film as Sivappu (2015), revealing that the title also denotes themes of love, anger, poverty, violence and communism.
The film opened to average reviews, with critics lauding the actors' performances along with Madhu Ambat's cinematography while complaining about the unconvincing blend of romance, comedy and drama.
[6][7][8] During the period when Sivappu was stuck, Sathyasiva began pre-production work on Thalapakatti with Vikram Prabhu, Nazriya Nazim and Rajkiran in the lead roles.