A decade and a half passed by since he made his debut, but Pawan Kalyan's charisma seems to have only increased if one goes by the surging crowds at the audio launch of his latest starrer, Panja The actor had participated in the shoot for a few main sequences and two songs at Ramoji Film City a few weeks ago. Sporting a stylish new look with an elegant beard, Pawan Kalyan, the martial arts expert is at ease with his hip-hop movements in one of the two songs an item numbers shot at a specially created set. Vishnuvardhan is a well known name in Tamil film industry for his slick and chick realistic looking action entertainers. He is making his debut in Telugu films.
“We shot a major schedule in Kolkata for two months and then travelled to Pollachi and Karaikudi to shoot the rural episodes before leaving for the picturesque Vagamon in Kerala to shoot a few portions. The story is a blend of urban and rural milieu. One of the heroines hails from a village,” says Neelima Tirumalasetty. She is producing the film along with her husband Nagesh Muntha. Joining hands with them is Arca Media's Sobhu Yarlagadda.
“He is a close friend of my husband and since we are new to this field he has extended his support.” The actors were chosen according to the characters in the story, so each one has a part to play and not remain as decorative pieces, she adds. “Every character from Atul Kulkarni, Tanikella Bhrani, Brahmanandam, Ali, Subbaraju, Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao and Jhansi are contributing. Adavi Sesh (of ‘Karma' fame) plays a crucial role with negative shades.
The director is very clear about the casting and technical team. For instance, he thought only Jackie Shroff could do justice to a particular character that has many intriguing scenes with Pawan Kalyan. Vishnuvardhan has done a superb job.”
Nagesh adds, “Vishnuvardhan is supported by an efficient technical team. Cinematographer P. S. Vinod who is already popular in Bollywood, the acclaimed editor A. Srikar Prasad, art director Sunil Babu, Bollywood's top action director Shyam Kaushal and Yuvan Shankar Raja whose peppy compositions are being sold like hotcakes. Panja is not your regular four songs- three fights-one item number fare. They will regale you. The humour, drama and action sync well into the story. The director kept a safe distance from unwanted build-ups, over-the-top dialogues and exaggerated heroism. It will be remembered as a gangster classic for a long time to come and will set the benchmark for its technical brilliance.” Except for two days work to film a song, the movie's shooting part has been completed, says the debutant producer Neelima.
“We didn't plan our entry into the tinsel world. It just happened. Destiny brought us to this field. Pawan Kalyan is the inspiring force behind this project and once we launched it everything fell in place and we promise a new movie experience within the parameters of commercial cinema,” signs off Neelima. Panja is slated for release on December 9.
PANJA
Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Sarah- Jane Dias, Anjali Lavania, Jackie Shroff, Adavi Sesh
Director: Vishnuvardhan
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Banner: Sanghamitra Arts, Arca Media Works
