Since April this year, this writer-director-producer has been struggling with the usual pre-release travails that all small filmmakers go through, in this mad, dog-eat-dog, competitive industry. Finally, he can heave a sigh of relief; but it’s partial because he still has his fingers crossed to see how the audience will receive his debut, full-length feature film.
Soft-spoken Madhu Mahankali, who is known for his documentaries and in the advertising world, has managed to fix 14 screens across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. His family drama, Parampara, which has already drawn critical acclaim from those who saw the preview on Wednesday, will release on Friday. Starring Amani and Naresh as parents of a young boy and veteran Raavi Kondala Rao as the grandfather, the film is about tradition and how in today’s modern world, people miss out.
He is sad at how small filmmakers see their dreams dissipate before their eyes when they finally complete their project as they cannot find theatres to screen the film. “I have struggled like never before in my life, just to get 14 theatres. I hope the situation changes but I know it would need a change in the mindset of the audience,” he says.
“I want to send Parampara to the film festivals, once the commercial release is done. It is not in the typical commercial format. While the story per se is a clean family drama, I am banking on the strong message of how people forget traditions until it is too late. I have not compromised on visual appeal, using the RED cameras in the regular digital format,” he says.
Anushka sitting pretty
One actor who, literally seems to be sitting pretty on the throne of Tollywood, happens to be Anushka. The lady has not one or two but three yet-to-be-released big ticket movies. The mammoth budgeted movies Baahubali , Rudramadevi and Linga are being produced in the range of Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 150 crore.
As the former yoga trainer ushers in her birthday on Friday, November 7, the marketing teams of the movies she is acting in are in a Catch-22 situation. They are forced to not just plan their publicity strategy well on this special occasion but also keep a tab on their rival’s promotion, just to make sure it is not repetitive.
It is also learnt that one team backed out of a special video after learning that the other team might do so. Well, the person in the midst of it all is not complaining. For the tall beauty, it’s a win-win situation after all.
