Director Praveen Sattaru is elated that his film Chandamama Kathalu has won the National Award for best film in Telugu. The film released last summer to divided reviews. “I didn’t make the film for awards. I wanted to make a film that’s different from the routine, something that both the audience and critics would like. Around 80 per cent of critics thrashed the film. I had to wait a year to prove my point,” says Praveen.
Chandamama Kathalu is an anthology film with eight stories, starring an ensemble cast. Praveen says the audience that watched the film was largely in favour of the product. “The response was overwhelming. When I watched the film in theatres, I saw a few women with tears in their eyes and the crowd, in general, was glued to their seats waiting to see what unfolds next. There were many reasons that decided the fate of the film at the box office, including reviews and elections,” he recalls.
One of the criticisms levelled against the film was its slow pace, but Praveen maintains that every film cannot be told in a fast pace. “The pace, I felt, was necessary to make people connect with the characters. People are used to watching fast-paced masala films. For over 20 years, filmmakers have been feeding the audience with dum biryani. I don’t regret the pace of my film,” he says.
Next, Praveen is working on a comedy set in the slums of Guntur. “The film is in the pre-production stage,” he says.
