Maverick director Ram Gopal Varma is back to doing what he does best – doling out unsolicited advices. He has taken to Twitter to express his views on the comeback film of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi. Varma wants the megastar to wield the megaphone for his 150th movie to ensure that it is a big hit. He tweeted that the former Congress minister had the intelligence and wisdom to dish out a successful flick. Well, he also shared what might happen if some other director were to direct the venture, which has sparked a lot of speculations of late. Varma compared the fate of the movie to that of Prajaraajyam party, if Chiranjeevi were to not heed his words!
On a roll
The man of the moment is writer-director Anil Ravipudi of Pataas fame. Starting off as a writer, Ravipudi is credited with churning out the first box office hit in the New Year, even with a conventional plot and a not-so-impressive star cast. Actor-producer Kalyan Ram, who had been acting and producing his movies for the past couple of years without much success, is getting rave reviews for his portrayal as a cop.
With the movie looking good on the collection front too, the debutant director is reportedly being flooded with offers, some with big stars too. It learnt that an announcement in this regard will be made by the director himself soon.
Calling all
short-film makers
Makers of short films can now proudly say they made one. Earlier they used to be looked down upon, or thought to be a ‘class’ group of people who made artistic cinema, albeit with vastly-reduced length when compared to full-length feature films.
But ever since Vishnu Manchu made the announcement some time ago, it generated a tangible interest among people passionate about using cinema to tell their tales. And now the ‘Vishnu Manchu Short Film Contest’ has gone online, live, calling out to filmmakers to ‘Break out the lights’, ‘Write a Script’ and get their cameras (even smartphones) ready for a 3-minute film.
Those interested can log on to www.mvishnu.com and complete the entry formalities to deliver a beautiful, powerful story in 3 minutes. Vishnu calls it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from 24 Frames Factory, the production house. The award-winning entry will carry a prize money of Rs.1 lakh. But what can be the icing on the cake is the prospect of directing a full-length feature film with the production house.
From this year on, the contest will be an annual event with the names of winners being announced on Vishnu father Mohan Babu’s birthday on March 19. The jury will comprise directors and writers – Ram Gopal Varma, Kona Venkat, Deva Katta, Gopi Mohan, B.V.S. Ravi and Dasarath.
Reporting by Rahul Devulapalli & Suresh Krishnamoorthy