Director Mohanakrishna Indraganti holds forth on ‘Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Meeku Cheppali’, the second venture in his trilogy on the movie business
Director Mohanakrishna Indraganti holds forth on ‘Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Meeku Cheppali’, the second venture in his trilogy on the movie business
For a number of Telugu movie buffs, the trailer of writer-director Mohanakrishna Indraganti’s new movie Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Meeku Cheppali ( I’ve to inform you about that woman), starring Sudheer Babu and Krithi Shetty, could have introduced again recollections of his 2018 movie Sammohanam. Both tales are set throughout the movie business. This is the second in his trilogy on the movie business. “One can make a career out of narrating stories inspired by the film industry. I have met vibrant people working in the industry, hailing from different socio-economic backgrounds. From actors to lightmen and junior artistes, everyone has an interesting story,” the director says throughout this dialog in Hyderabad, minutes after finishing up the ultimate post-production checks for the movie that’s scheduled to launch in theatres on September 16.
The thought for Sammohanam had emerged in 2011 and in the end, Indraganti was enthused by the considered a trilogy on cinema. Sammohanam was a romance drama between Sudheer Babu as a non-film individual and Aditi Rao Hydari as an actor. It was additionally a commentary on the methods of the movie business, within the parts that concerned the hero’s father who had nurtured a want to act in movies. Indraganti says that in Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Meeku Cheppali (AAGMC), Sudheer performs a director who is thought for his mainstream business motion pictures: “Krithi is an ophthalmologist who becomes his muse. He wants to cast her in his film but she and her parents despise the film world and have their reasons.”
Director Mohanakrishna Indraganti
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tribute to ladies in cinema
In a approach, this story is Indraganti’s tribute to younger ladies who combat with their households to pursue a profession in cinema: “There is a lot of opposition in middle-class families when a girl says she wants to be an actress. In this story, the girl’s parents (Srikanth Iyengar and Kalyani Radhakrishnan) think the film world is morally depraved; the reasons that make them have such notions are revealed in the story. At one point Krithi’s character asserts that she wants to act and it leads to conflict.”
The story touches upon the difficulty of the casting sofa, says the director: “You cannot make a film on the industry and not refer to the issue. We address it in passing, in a constructive manner without passing moral judgments on the choices made by women who are put in a tight spot.”
Indraganti says the movie business is a microcosm of the world at massive however exploitation is extra in focus since cinema is a public artwork kind. “The #MeToo movement exposed the exploitation in several other professions, including university professors. Since cinema shows the intimacy between characters on screen, people assume that actors have no inhibitions in real life as well.”
The #MeToo motion could not have solved all the issues confronted by ladies within the movie business, however issues are wanting up, reckons Indraganti: “Predators are aware that they cannot get away easily. We are also seeing more women in different departments, including direction and production. When women have decision-making powers, they understand the plight of other women and the overall work atmosphere gets better. The assumption that women are available merely because they are working in the film industry is changing.”
Director Mohanakrishna Indraganti with Krithi Shetty and Sudheer Babu
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Film inside a movie
The strategy of exhibiting a movie inside a movie fascinates Indraganti: “It is a ‘meta’ idea. I have cast real lightmen as lightmen for the film that is shown in the story. Actors are also acting in a film within a film.”
During Sammohanam, he had shared the fundamental premise of AAGMC with Sudheer Babu, who expressed a eager curiosity to be part of this venture. “He plays a polar opposite character of that film; when he told me how he intended to do it, I was convinced he could pull it off.”
Krithi was a newcomer when she had signed AAGMC, recollects Indraganti: “I wanted a heroine who does carry the burden of an image. In this film she is not a glam doll; the story explores the artistic side of her.” AAGMC confronted hurdles through the pandemic within the meantime, Krithi’s different movies together with Uppena had been launched.
Digital plans: Mohanakrishna Indraganti was approached by just a few digital platforms for both directing or being a showrunner for internet sequence initiatives. He is open to the digital medium however understands that it entails extra time: “I cannot treat it like a side business. Digital medium involves a bigger risk. People who come to the theatre might sit through a film even if they don’t like it much, but it is easy to turn off the channel at home.”
Reminiscing on V: Indraganti’s earlier movie V, the motion entertainer starring Sudheer Babu and Nani, didn’t evoke the nice and cozy response the staff had anticipated. Indraganti displays, “Since Nani has a huge fan base, a lot of people looked at the story from his character’s point of view and thought it is another revenge drama. In fact, Nani himself had told me during the making of the film that his character is like an extended cameo in Sudheer’s film. At the same time, I received appreciation for the story and characterisations from IPS officers and many women. The audience and critics are my biggest strengths and I am open to constructive criticism. I would rather take risks exploring different genres than be stuck in one zone.”
As at all times, Indraganti performed workshops and script studying periods along with his actors to make them strike a rapport with one another in addition to perceive their components higher. He calls Sudheer, Krithi Shetty, Srikanth Iyengar and Kalyani Radhakrishnan as 4 pillars of the story. The in-depth discussions with the feminine actors, he says, additionally assist him get ample suggestions: “Kalyani is from Mumbai, a mother of two and her husband is also an actor. We spoke at length about her views on the film industry and how she manages work and home. I also got feedback from Bindu Chandramouli who appears in a significant cameo and Krithi.”
Vennela Kishore performs a considerably cynical co-director and Rahul Ramakrishna is a scriptwriter. “Kishore has interacted with several co-directors and brought his understanding to the table. He plays a co-director who has preconceived notions about women in cinema. Rahul is a writer who doesn’t think highly of the films Sudheer’s character makes. He represents the real and idealistic world that Sudheer is far removed from. I named Rahul’s character Ramana, as a tribute to my favourite writer Mullapudi Venkata Ramana garu.”
Theme rating
For this movie, Indraganti once more collaborated with cinematographer P G Vinda and music composer Vivek Sagar. He explains that the visible tones are completely different for the segments that showcase Krithi’s center class family versus Sudheer’s luxurious way of life. He is assured that the music will probably be a spotlight: “This is a more emotional and intense film and Vivek Sagar’s orchestral score is grander than in Sammohanam, which had a more indie vibe to it. He has composed a fantastic theme score which will be talked about.”
Indraganti states that he had not supposed to make the second movie of the trilogy barely inside two years of Sammohanam. “I found the right story and the actors and we began work. But I do not plan to make the third film of the trilogy anytime soon.”
Source: www.thehindu.com