On the outside, Montages Cinema looks like a run-of-the-mill Jubilee Hills house. On the inside, however, the production house energises its visitors and employees through captivating hand-painted murals and minimal furniture accents.
Barely three months old, the two-floored office space showcases CEO Raj Madiraju and his team’s passion for their workplace and their career. Raj shares, “We initially worked with a designer, who presented us with a really exciting blueprint. Unfortunately, they couldn’t implement it, so we took it upon ourselves. Everything from flooring to paints shades was under our control. So through the surroundings, people who visit us can see that we take pretty much everything seriously, but that we’re also really fun and creative about it.”
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With the creative mastery of prominent artists Swathi and Vijay Kumar , Montages Cinema made use of the expansive wall spaces to build a rich narrative of their zest for film — all comprising just three colours: black, white and red. Against the stark white walls and flooring, the artworks jump out to the beholder.
In Raj’s office, a statement piece featuring a quote ‘My romance with life,’ in his own handwriting consumes the space opposite his desk. Raj admits he loves his life at the moment and this encapsulates that, “I love that this is the first thing I see. It is the slogan from my first film
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COO Mahesh Chadalawada’s office features an upside-down clapperboard with a unique concept in mind, “Usually clapperboards are associated with the finality of a project. So my vision is to never disclose plans, only the results. On that note, people come to me to see the results of their projects and so on. So this made sense!”
The writers’ room features a continuous strip of artwork in the same colour scheme of all the well-known and used storyline milestones, as if to encourage the team and enforce a culture of ‘going against the grain of typical film plotlines.’
One particularly eye-catching masterpiece is a 25 foot wall featuring a decoupage of various filmmakers such as Tarantino and Scorsese, along with quotes and signatures.
Collaborative zeal
On the outdoor patio is a true manifestation of the team’s adoration for all things film; a corkboard wall is covered in handwritten and handpainted famous one-liners in Telugu, Hindi and English. Raj explains his intention to name it ‘Asylum’ for its haphazard design and its unconventional approach to team-based brainstorming. On an adjacent wall, are vector artworks of prominent personas in film— favourites such as Chiranjeevi, Ambitabh Bachchan and N T Rama Rao who’ve left a lasting legacy.
Despite the space being in its early stages, Raj, Mahesh and the rest of team are excited for the unending potential for the space, as the team grows and as projects flood in.
Montages Cinema
What: Movie production house
Where: Prashasan Nagar
Area: 4000sq-ft approx