From New York to Kancharapalem

New York-based cardiologist Praveena Paruchuri opens up on her maiden Telugu film production, ‘C/O Kancharapalem’, which wowed the audience at a preview recently

February 27, 2018 03:57 pm | Updated 06:23 pm IST - Hyderabad

 Praveena Paruchuri

Praveena Paruchuri

Praveena Paruchuri is a name unfamiliar to Telugu cinema. If her debut production C/O Kancharapalem hits all the right notes that she’s confident it will, the industry will see more of her work. C/O Kancharapalem was recently screened to a select audience at Ramanaidu Studio preview theatre.

Set in Kancharapalem near Vizag, the film directed by Venkatesh Maha presents a tapestry of stories from this Telugu heartland with a whiff of humour. Shot in sync sound and beating with the heart of an independent film, the film wowed the gathering.

Praveena and her director Venkatesh Maha plan to take the film to prestigious film festivals, including Cannes, before an Indian release. The first-time producer is a New York-based cardiologist with a passion for cinema. The first and obvious question is why she chose to produce a Telugu film and not an American indie. “We hear about Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam films being showcased in film festivals across the world. Why not a Telugu film? Baahubali has opened Telugu cinema to the world and a lot more people know what our industry is capable of. Ours is not a big-budget fantasy film, but it reverberates with the essence of people and lifestyles from the heartland,” she tells us.

Indian connect

Paruchuri was born and brought up in the US and her Indian connection came through her parents. She would visit Hyderabad with her parents on and off, until she was 10. “In the 90s, a lot more people from India moved to the US. But when I was growing up, I was the only Indian kid in the whole White neighbourhood and the only Indian child in the elementary school,” she remembers. Like many American born Indians, she too struggled with identity issues. “Our parents hold on to Indian culture and we, the second generation, take some time to understand where we fit,” she says candidly.

Her father being an ardent film buff, the family would drive 45 minutes to an Indian grocery store every weekend to get that one Telugu film video it would stock. Those were the VCR days. “Driving back, I would hear the back-stories of actors and directors and the projects they were known for,” recalls Paruchuri.

Growing up in the US and reading up on all things associated with Indian arts and culture, Praveena was familiar with the teachings of Adi Sankara, Bhagavad Gita, and later travelled to the Himalayas, Gangotri, Rishikesh, the prominent temples of South India, and even learnt classical dance. The inclination towards arts and cinema grew. At one point she expressed that she wanted to be an actor, much to the horror of her mother. She didn’t know of film direction or production then.

There came a point when she had to make a career choice. “I went to a film school and made a half-hearted attempt at being a part of cinema,” she confesses. She didn’t fancy herself knocking doors of production houses. So she chose the other, easier option in front of her. She studied medicine, “I was good in academics.”

Specialisation in cardiology continued and as an academic cardiologist, she had both teaching and clinical responsibilities. Years went by. After 10 years in which she clocked in around 100 working hours a week, she woke up to the realisation that she hadn’t yet ventured into cinema. “I had a panic attack thinking I would die without making a film,” she says.

Return of the native

Paruchuri emailed a few people in the film industry, looking for an opportunity to learn. Hyderabad-based Aparna Malladi responded. Praveena flew down to Hyderabad, decades after her childhood visit, to feel lost in a burgeoning city that was very different from her nostalgic memories. She had written a story and wanted to direct it. Malladi suggested beginning with the basics — having an Indian bank account and opening a production house.

On that day she spent with Aparna Malladi, there was someone else too — aspiring director Venkatesh Maha. Later that day, he showed her a pitch video of a story set in Kancharapalem. Paruchuri was bowled. “I told him ‘this is made for Cannes’. I gave him ₹3000 as an initial amount; the sum he quoted to make this film seemed doable. I could produce the film. Years ago I had told myself that I would make my own opportunity in cinema and that moment had come.”

She also acted in the film and equates the essence of C/O Kancharapalem to Malgudi Days in the way the town stands witness to four stories unfolding within its neighbourhoods. “We need more stories about our land, neighbourhoods and people. There’s more to Telugu stories than those emerging from people living in Hyderabad or Vizag or the faction stories from Rayalaseema.”

After the first preview, producer Suresh babu agreed to back the film to give it the much-needed push for a wider reach.

Praveena Paruchuri’s journey in cinema has just begun.

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