BhanuPriya.
Those who saw the films of Sitara, Anveshana, Swarnakamalam, Peoples encounter can never forget this dusky beauty from south. She got success with her first film and never turned back. Recently when I got to know that she is in LA I tried various ways to locate her. And finally I spoke to her. The way she spoke to me is amazing. She is very down to earth and agreed to speak to me with a short notice. I am really surprised with her great down to earth attitude. And my respect to her increased more after our interview. Even though I unsettled her with my questions she replied them with much patience. Here are the experts from the interview.
Sri: Can you tell me something about your childhood. As I know you came from Madras. Are you a Telugu girl or a Tamil girl?
Bhanupriya: I am a Telugu girl. Born in Rajamundry and at the age of two my mother moved to Madras. So I was brought up in Madras. Learned dance at Sundaram master.
Sri: So who your came into films with a no connections to the film land.
Bhanupriya: When I was in school Bhagyaraja garu once came to the school to select a girl for his movie. He wants someone good at dance and to do a role of teenage girl. I was selected and then after a photo shoot he said I was too young for the role and may be one year he has to wait for me for that film. I was devastated. I already said to all my friends I am acting in films. So I never went back the school again. Seeing that photo Bharatiraja garu gave me chance in man Pasiyadu a Tamil film. The film�s meaning is talk slowly. When I was doing that film I got chance in vamsy gari film �sitara� and also chadarangam with naresh. But it is sitara which released first and it went on to became a big hit and got me a many awards including best regional film in national level. After that film I acted with almost all hero�s except with NTR.
Sri: Is that is your real name or you changed for the screen?
Bhanupriya: My actual name was Bhanu. As it is simple they changed to Bhanupriya according the star and other things.
Sri: So how is your working with the Vamsi garu. We are maintaining a site called www.vamsy.net. So if you can tell about your experience with his films it would be good.
Bhanupriya: He is a perfectionist. I did four films with him and all are very good films. When I initially joined films I am not aware of the angles nor the movements or anything on the expression side. I know only the dance expressions. He taught me that dance expressions are different from acting expressions. And he was very patient with me on that.
Sri: Then how about your Tamil films? I think you also did some Tamil films like gokulathali sita etc.
Bhanupriya: yes I did many films in Tamil also. I think I almost did 40 Tamil films. I did with almost all top heroes there.
Sri: When you are going well in Telugu and Tamil why you did not want to go to Hindi?
Bhanupriya: How do we know if we won�t try. See every one wants to make it big. It is a national level recognition if we act in North. I tried and did some good movies like bhabhi etc. but the timing might have not worked for me there. I did with good actors at that time. But it didn�t worked due to various reasons.
Sri: I think you earlier used dubbing for some of the films later you started doing your own dubbing.
Bhanupriya: Initially laxmi garu, saritha garu dubbed me for couple of films. But with anveshana I started dubbing my own voice for my films.
Sri: But I think your voice was dubbed for the film peoples encounter.
Bhanupriya: That time I had problems with dates, as I was doing films in Hindi and the film release date was announced so the producers went with sarita gari voice for that film.
Sri: How is your sister Nishanti doing. I think she is married to Shantaram gari grand son.
Bhanupriya: She is fine. Yes she married to him and has two sons. She sometimes comes to madras and visits us often.
Sri: I remember she also changed her name for the screen.
Bhanupriya: Yes her name is shanthi. Then named as nishanti in one film. Later as it doesn't sound good they changed as shanthipriya. While doing a Hindi film she fell in love with him and got married and settled.
Sri: I think saugandh the first film of akshay is also her first film in Hindi.
Bhanupriya: yes. Later she did some more in Hindi. But never really tried in the field. So she married.
Sri: How did your marriage happen? Is it a love marriage? Heard Sri Adarsh parents are against your marriage initially?
Bhanupriya: They are looking for matches to me. So through a common friend we met in Madras. We liked each other. Then there are talks on phones, as he is in USA and I am in Madras. Once I came here and we understood each other then I agreed for marriage. My parents are little against to this as he is in USA. But my in-laws are good and never objected for the marriage.
Sri: So how did your life changed after the marriage?
Bhanupriya: Life definitely changed a lot. But it is inevitable isn�t it. And I am happy with my life. At certain point of life you need to get settled and like to have a life of you own and that is what I got. So I am happy with it.
Sri: No I mean the life here is different from the life in India. As you have to do all your work not depending on others like we do in India.
Bhanupriya: My mother bought up is in a down to earth attitude. We never had any hang-ups. So I am pretty much normal here as well as in India. No there is much of a difference in that. I am doing my duties as wife and daughter-in-law as I am supposed to do in a normal life. I never had that I am star attitude. I am an actor and that is one profession.
Sri: so after getting married and getting settled down why did you want to start you second innings.
Bhanupriya: I never said I will quit acting after the marriage. It is my profession like any other profession. I just took some break after marriage and pregnancy. Now I have a beautiful daughter and after some time I will acting again may not be right now as she needs my care at present. I will never leave it.
Sri: Isn�t it hard that you being there in Madras and he being in USA. How can you manage both?
Bhanupriya: Yes it is sometimes. But we need to adjust. Some times he comes to Madras, depending on his vacation. And some times I come here depending on my shootings and other schedules. But we cannot get all in the life. We need the adjustments.
Sri: You did some awful movies in your second innings. Like Feb 14th necklace road. Why?
Bhanupriya: I did some awe full movies before also. This particular film I did for the Suman garu. He is my first Telugu hero and once he requested me I did a special appearance role for him. Even amitab garu also does the guest roles sometimes. So what is wrong in that.
Yes I agree we did some films of no importance. But I cannot get a swarnakamalam or sitara every day. If I want only those films I might have done may be four or five films in my carrier. I need to survive in the industry. And also meanwhile I need to make some money in that process. So I did many commercial films. You cannot get swarnakamalam all the time.
People still remember me with that film for long time. That is the definitely one of my best films.
Sri: Recently I saw peoples encounter your action in the climax is good.
Bhanupriya: That is directed by Mohan Gandhi garu. That is good film. He is a good director. We did the shooting in front of the assembly at that time. But now a days we are not doing such films, as people are not seeing. Those days are gone. Though Soundarya tried in some films which are not commercial hits. The trend has changed now.
Sri: We saw recently your lahiri lahiri lo. That is a good hit film. As it is announced as all Andhra film (Achatenugu chitram) but Udit and Shankar singing the songs, how is it justified?
Bhanupriya: Ask chowdhury garu that. Not me. You can express your views to him. He is talented and good nature person. You can talk to him. They are the hit singers. So what is the problem.
Sri: Problem is the guys who are singing don�t know the meaning and pronunciations of the language and which makes us wonder what they are up. They are killing the music of the films.
Bhanupriya: If you feel that way you should talk to the directors of the films and music directors who can take extra care so that it will be good for the film. There are a lot of talented young artists coming now a days.
Sri: So what you think of the current trend.
Bhanupriya: There is nothing like a trend. If the film is good and entertaining people will love it. It is a circle. Some times action films click and some time's family films. It all depends on the director who can handle the film with the right ingredients.
Sri: How many dance directors are there in the Swarnakamalam?
Bhanupriya: six dance directors for that film.
Sri: Did you worked with Sharon loven also for the dance sequence.
Bhanupriya: She is a great dancer. We didn�t work much on the dance part. Her dance was shot entirely on her. I don�t have any part of that.
Sri: So how is working with the viswhanath garu?
Bhanupriya: Till today every one talks about that movie. So you can imagine what will be my experience. He is a perfectionist and never gets compromised. He acts and shows what he wants from the artist. Never gets angry with any one. He is having lot of patience. He is so best I cannot tell�.
Sri: I heard that you did some serials in Telugu/tamil in TV.
Bhanupriya: I have not done any Telugu serials. I did only two Tamil serials. And they are being dubbed in Telugu. They are good hits in Tamil. So they dubbed in Telugu.
Sri: I think you worked with Jandhyala garu on your 100th film shh.gupchup. What is your experience with him? (She also worked with him earlier on Mogudu pellalu)
Bhanupriya: Working with Jandhyala garu is wonderful. He never used to make me feel that he is a big director, like he was never strict. And always used to joke around and make us that shooting was a picnic and not some strict rules. It is sad that he died at so young age. His comedy was very healthy and natural. He never used any double meaning dialogues. I felt very bad when I heard about his heart attack. He has two twin daughters. They are very small. I feel very sorry for them.
Sri: what are your future plans?
Bhanupriya: I will definitely will continue with my profession. There is no doubt about that. Right now it is our baby who needs care. So I am looking at her now. Once she is little older and when I think I can manage my profession with her then I will return to my acting profession. Until then she is my priority.
Sri: Won�t it be difficult?
Bhanupriya: If you think something is difficult it will always be difficult. You should have will power to do that then it will be easy. See there are so many working mothers who are doing this. Why it is different to me. It will be the same. And I can do that.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Kalayan Ram interview
- Home is the best place in my life, there is no place of interest or source of joy than �my home� in the entire world
- Life is very short just like an ice cream, enjoy it before it melts.
- Tollywood is the best of all the WOODS
- In Abimanyu, the hero being cornered from all the sides, and comes out successfully in an interesting & unique manner
- My dream role is similar to that of tatagaru�s role in Kanyasulkam a totally hilarious role an out right comedy
- Marriage should be based on understanding but never a compromise.
says Nandamuri Kalyan Ram the young software engineer-turned actor of tollywood, whose second film Abimanyu scheduled to release on 12th November.
The traditionalist star totally untouched by the western culture expressed some of his views to Telugu cinema.com in an interview on this occasion.
Some of the excerpts from the interview:
Could you just brief your academic background?
Studied in Hyderabad till my seventh standard in St. Pauls High School, after that in Vijaywada and Guntur upto my plus two. In BITS Pilani (for a very short period) B.Tech computers in Coimbatore. MS in Computer science in IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology) in Chicago (2000-20002). A four-week Crash Course in New York Film Academy.
What made your entry into films?
Naturally my family background. I was interested in films since my childhood.
Your association with the legendary NTR?
I was just a kid and in respect of my association with tata garu. I was always an admirer of the legandary�s films especially the black and whites.
There is a general notion that Rama Rao garu used to be very strict towards his sons, did you experience the same thing with Harikrishna garu?
No, not at all, Naana garu was never strict, he just use to tell us that we have to always remember our family prestige. He left us absolutely free, and of course we are always in our limits. Even now Naana garu is my guide & philosopher.
Your first entry into the industry?
As a child Artiste I had enjoyed acting in Balagopaludu. Infact babai (Balakrishna) encouraged me to act in that movie. It is an unforgettable experience. I can never forget the affection showed by him at the time of shooting.
Then why there is such a long gap in your film career?
Yes, there is a long gap. I did not act after Balagopaludu. Nanna garu and other family members wanted me to pursue my studies and I went on with my studies to complete my Masters in computers.
Being the first Postgraduate from the Nandamuri family what are your feelings on your academic life?
Happy indeed, as education is very important in one�s life and if we observe, each & every individual is first identified by his academic excellence rather than his wealth and other material matters.
How about your life in US?
Different from the Indian life in respect of culture, here we include even our neighborhood as our family members.
Where as in US such bondage is missing, however in certain families surprisingly even in United States the affections & family bondage prevails just like us.
Let me illustrate this, I felt extremely happy & moved when one of my American colleagues took an off for to receive his mother who came to Chicago and spent with her the entire day showing all the important places in the city. Though the affections are universal, our culture has more space in this particular aspect.
Life in US is not at all a bed of roses, as people here generally think, the life is so hard and one has to struggle to cope with the life.
How far the course in New York film Academy helped you in your Tollywood performance?
My association with the New York film Academy definitely helped me in enhancing my knowledge. The entire course in just practical oriented, and I wish every body who is really interested in acting should undergo that course.
That was really an excellent training ground for my film career, the course was framed to bring out the hidden talents within one self. Not just action skills, but also the hardships faced by the technicians in the industry were explained to give an over all grip (understanding) over the film industry.
Any information regarding Abimanyu?
The Film Abimanyu has been completed within 63 days. It is totally a different movie from my first film Tholichoopulonee.
Some of the highlights of the movie are:
The Hero being cornered from all the sides, and comes out successfully in an interesting & unique manner.
The mother sentiment has been pictured in an excellent manner.
Heroine Spandana worked hard to give her own dubbing.
Your comment on the present trend of importing non-telugu speaking girls as heroines?
It would be always better If we have telugu speaking girls as heroines as the communication and action will become easier.
But our traditional & conventional outlook is blocking their entry into the industry.
How do you explain Tollywood?
Tollywood is the best of all the WOODS.
This is the most successful wood of all the woods even than Hollywood. Since 1996 the activity of Telugu films in US moved very fast and now since 2002 direct releases made the Industry more popular and extended it into international market.
But coming to the functioning of the industry it has its own minus points, the industry is not well organised. Especially when it comes to the aspect of punctuality.
It is a real sorry state of affairs that one has to wait for the shot to be started even after two hours of the scheduled time sometimes.
How do you rate your position in Tollywood?
I am just in my first step of the career. A very very long way to go to achieve the goal.
Who is your favorite Director?
I have favorite films from different directors rather than a favorite director in particular
Maniratnam: Gharshana & Dalapathi
Krishna Vamsi;NennePelladataa & Gulabi
VV Vinayak: Adi & Chenna Kesava Reddy
Vijaya Bhaskar : Nuvvu Naaku Nachhavu
Special credit to Raghavendra rao garu who made the latest film like gangotri even in this trend.
Who is your favourate actor/actress?
Actors: Each & every hero has his own style of performing.
Actress: Savitri garu. In the present trend it is very difficult to judge because we hardly see the same heroine for the next film.
What type of movies do you like?
Basically family entertainers, so that one can forget all the worries at least two hrs in the theatre. Violence, too much of sentiments make the audience disinterested in films.
What about Multi-starers?
Multi-starers is definitely a welcome feature but not that practical in the Tollywood with very strong associations of fans.
What about your next venture? Do you have any dream role?
My next venture is almost ready and to be announced with in a week�s time.
My dream role is similar to that of tatagaru�s role in Kanyasulkam a totally hilarious role an out right comedy.
After achieving the academic success and now started your film career, what are your plans of your personal life?
Marriage should be based on understanding but never a compromise. If it starts with a compromise it will not last long. Mutual understanding makes marriage successful.
Your concept of life?
Life is very short just like an ice cream, enjoy it before it melts. One should always have a positive outlook in life.
Your favorite picnic spot?
My daily routine is from 4.30 to 8.30. The schedule will not be disturbed except when I have my movie schedules. I will have dinner with the family members and go to sleep by 8.30.
No late night pubs at all. That is why some of my friends make fun of me, but Home is the best place in my life, there is no place of interest or source of joy than �my home� in the entire world. My Home is everything for me.
So, telugucinema.com wishes the star all success in achieving his dream success in his career & life.
This was Kalyanram's first interview on web. The interview was taken before the release of his first film Abumanyu
Monday, January 7, 2008
Friday, December 28, 2007
Interview with Sriram
This is the first interview of Srikanth aka Sriram on web...
Sriram (srikanth for tamil audience ) going on very well with a hatrick of hits in Tamil, and an average fourth one made his entry into telugu films with okariki okaru which is doing well at the box office.
The Telugu-born hero recently got an international award from Malayisa for the best new actor for his first film Rojapulu.
I could catch hold of the after a long wait for almost a week
Here are the experts of the interview:
Sri : I came to know that you are from Andhra Pradesh, could you tell me something about your back ground?
Sriram : Yes you are right, (smiles) I am from Hyderabad. I studied until my 10th class in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jubilee hills. My father used to work in State bank of India in king koti and my mother in Telephones Department in lakdikapool.
After my tenth Standard we have to shift to Madras as my father got transferred to that place. So, I joined college in Madras. I did my B.Sc in computer science. That is the reason I am familiar with the both the languages.
Sri : What made you enter into this film Industry?
Sriram : I wanted to become an actor. So I started approaching the directors. I don�t even know that I need to have a good portfolio for a good presentation.
I took just the ordinary pictures for the presentation. I was selected for kadalar Virus by director Kadhir. After 10 months and just before the muhurt day I was dropped. I was shattered. I don�t know the reasons.
But kadhir sir introduced me to Jeeva who is planning to do 12 B and asked for my portfolio. I didn�t have any. Then my mother gave her savings and with that I made my portfolio. You know it costs like 15, 000 rupees. Which is very costly for a middle class family like us.
After the portfolio I got the chance of doing an Ad for Sprite and I earned 40,000 and I repaid my mother.
After that I got a couple of chances in advertisements. After seeing advertisements and my portfolio the producers of Rojakuttam (Roja pulu in Telugu), Oscar Ravichandhran and Sasi (director) gave me the opportunity.
My parents fixed a span of two years for me to enter into films and consolidate myself, if I am unable to achieve the target, I was asked to join in some job.
But with the blessings of my parents I made it today. I am happy because they supported me when I needed the most.
Sri: How come you made your way into Tollywood when you are busy with the Tamil films?
Sriram : When Rojapulu was dubbed into telugu many offers came to me from Telugu producers. I was really excited, but I was already committed in many tamil films.
So, I cannot readily give dates for them. But when Gemini kiran garu and rasool garu approached with a good script which centers around me, I was tempted and did the film. The film came out very good and I am very much thankful to rasool garu and kiran garu for the opportunity given to me.
Sri: Being a Telugu guy how come sri (music director) dubbed you voice in okariki okaru?
Sriram : It is an unfortunate, even I am not very happy with that, but what can we do? I am too busy in running between Pondicherry and Ooty for the shootings and the dubbing, pre release mixing are in Hyderabad.
So I cannot adjust dates for the dubbing. And we need to release the film without the delay. When I can dub my own in tamil films why cannot I do in telugu which is my mother tongue. I am also disappointed, but next time I will make sure I have some dates for the post productions works, so that I can dub my own dialogues in the next telugu film. Now okariki okaru is being dubbed in Tamil and I have already completed the dubbing for the same in Tamil version.
Sri: Your favorite directors with whom you love to work?
Sriram : Beyond doubt, it will be Maniratnam. I am knocking his doors since a long time. Then from tamil I like to do with bala, fazil etc,.
In Telugu I am longing to work with Krishnavamsi, I missed couple of chances with him. He approached me immediately after Rojakuttam (roja pulu in telugu), but the dates could not be adjusted at that time.
I had a talk with him recently in okariki okaru shooting.
But I would definitely like to do a film with him, he is a tremendous director. And there are many new directors in telugu who are very talented and hardworking the list will be big (laughs), like Poori and Vinayak etc.. I am ready to work with them given a chance and prove myself.
Sri: what are the elements you look for before selecting a script?
Sriram : Definitely the story. It is not that story should revolve around me. But it should have a combination of everything. Like action, comedy, love, sentiments everything should be interwoven. It should satisfy the all types of audiences, then the proper director to handle it. Luckily so far I got that type of directors.
Sri : who is your favourite actor in the present ?
Sriram : It is chiranjeevi in telugu. And Rajani in tamil. I recently met chiranjeevi sir in jyothika� birthday party, that is the most happiest movement for me. He is such a good person I cannot tell in words. He promised to watch the okariki okaru with me when I come to Hyderabad. He gave me his blessings. He such a nice person. At this age also his dances are amazing. He is an icon. Every mother like to have a son like him, or sees his son in him. Every brother looks at him as an elder brother. And he is such a down to earth person, It is a dream coming true to me. I never expected him to be that simple. And you know about Rajani sir. He is also such a down to earth person. I hope if I can achieve 20 percent of what they are today I will be proud.
Sri: What about the heroines you work with ? Do you prefer any particular person and recommend ?
Sriram : No that all depends on the director and producer. It is entirely their choice.
Sri : so far you worked with the senior heroines like bhoomika and sneha what are your experiences with them?
Sriram : (on bhoomika) oh she is tremendous actress. Working with her is like my dream coming true. I forget everything until I completed a schedule .Though she had couple of films before this and she is much more talented then me. She is pretty down to earth. There is this particular scene where I need to slap her. That shot was on front of the crowd.
I am unable to do it in one take. She encouraged me to do it again and again. The crowd is so much upset that I am hitting a girl and I myself is unable to do it. I am also upset as I cannot lift hand on a girl (laughs). She became so upset and said if you are not going to do again (until the shot is done) I will walk away from the film. I did it finally after three takes and the fourth one was the right one.
Another great thing about her is that she cannot understand tamil, she used to practice the dialogues in her make up room all the time. She used to write in English and in Hindi and used to practice in her make up room. I am fortunate to work with her in my first film. We are still good friends.
On Sneha : she is another actress whom I worked in two films. She is another great actress. Working with her is always a pleasure. I worked with � April Mathathil� and partiban kannavu with her. She is a dedicated actress. One day while coming to the shooting for april mathathil she met with an accident and broke her leg. But she didn�t informed anything about it and completed the shooting with that pain. She is that dedicated.
Sri : (interrupting his flow) but I thought it is you met with the accident at that time?
Sriram : (laughs) yes I also met with the accident after that. When the producer got to know that she is acting with the cruches he gave one month holiday for the shooting. Meanwhile I met with the car accident and was in bed for that one month and enjoyed the holidays in that � (laughs).
Sri: she is another good actress. But how come she is not acting anymore?
Sriram : that is because of the rumors about her that she is getting married soon. I don�t know why press some times does like that. Because of this producers are feared that she might get married in the middle of the picture which will be a bad for the film.
Sri: what about the rumors about your love affair with her?
Sriram : As you said they are rumors, not true. They even got us married with out our knowledge . I don�t know what satisfaction they get in spreading this rumors. It is not all the press who does that, only few.
I think sneha is doing a telugu film now. She is good at her acting, a good professional.
Sri: what about your future projects?
Sriram : I am doing a film with ayam perumal for the film joot , ayam perumal is the one who directed dum dum dum earlier and he is from maniratnam sir school. I just completed a fight scene composed by vijayan sir the film heroine is meera jasmin.
Sri: the heroine of the film �RUN�?
Sriram : yes. She is a live wire. Great actress. She gives good competition to act. I think she is doing a film with Pawan kalayan garu now.
I am also doing another film varnajalam with Sada, she is another natural actress. You will be surprised how they acts so natural and which makes you work more harder to prove your self. I like their natural flavor of acting and I am trying to improve more and more by watching them, Another film I am doing is annasalai for the producers of partiban kannavu and the heroine will be sonia agariwal who acted in kadal kondedan (this film is getting remade in telugu with allari naresh as a hero). There are another two films after this. So I will be busy until the end of the next year (laughs).
Sri: Do you have any brothers and sisters?
Sriram : yes I have one elder brother who works in Washington DC in cannon. He is there for last seven years. He just came here for a visit after seven years. My parents went to America for a visit. My sister-in-law is also working in USA.
Sri : so when are you coming to America?
Sriram : Actually we are supposed to shot second half of okariki okaru there (America). But it was done in Austria in the last minute. I was excited about it when I thought it will be America. But I think I will do it some time for some another film.
Sri : any message to our readers?
Sriram :I wish them a happy diwali and I like to see their inputs on my first telugu straight film.
The Telugu-born hero recently got an international award from Malayisa for the best new actor for his first film Rojapulu.
I could catch hold of the after a long wait for almost a week
Here are the experts of the interview:
Sri : I came to know that you are from Andhra Pradesh, could you tell me something about your back ground?
Sriram : Yes you are right, (smiles) I am from Hyderabad. I studied until my 10th class in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jubilee hills. My father used to work in State bank of India in king koti and my mother in Telephones Department in lakdikapool.
After my tenth Standard we have to shift to Madras as my father got transferred to that place. So, I joined college in Madras. I did my B.Sc in computer science. That is the reason I am familiar with the both the languages.
Sri : What made you enter into this film Industry?
Sriram : I wanted to become an actor. So I started approaching the directors. I don�t even know that I need to have a good portfolio for a good presentation.
I took just the ordinary pictures for the presentation. I was selected for kadalar Virus by director Kadhir. After 10 months and just before the muhurt day I was dropped. I was shattered. I don�t know the reasons.
But kadhir sir introduced me to Jeeva who is planning to do 12 B and asked for my portfolio. I didn�t have any. Then my mother gave her savings and with that I made my portfolio. You know it costs like 15, 000 rupees. Which is very costly for a middle class family like us.
After the portfolio I got the chance of doing an Ad for Sprite and I earned 40,000 and I repaid my mother.
After that I got a couple of chances in advertisements. After seeing advertisements and my portfolio the producers of Rojakuttam (Roja pulu in Telugu), Oscar Ravichandhran and Sasi (director) gave me the opportunity.
My parents fixed a span of two years for me to enter into films and consolidate myself, if I am unable to achieve the target, I was asked to join in some job.
But with the blessings of my parents I made it today. I am happy because they supported me when I needed the most.
Sri: How come you made your way into Tollywood when you are busy with the Tamil films?
Sriram : When Rojapulu was dubbed into telugu many offers came to me from Telugu producers. I was really excited, but I was already committed in many tamil films.
So, I cannot readily give dates for them. But when Gemini kiran garu and rasool garu approached with a good script which centers around me, I was tempted and did the film. The film came out very good and I am very much thankful to rasool garu and kiran garu for the opportunity given to me.
Sri: Being a Telugu guy how come sri (music director) dubbed you voice in okariki okaru?
Sriram : It is an unfortunate, even I am not very happy with that, but what can we do? I am too busy in running between Pondicherry and Ooty for the shootings and the dubbing, pre release mixing are in Hyderabad.
So I cannot adjust dates for the dubbing. And we need to release the film without the delay. When I can dub my own in tamil films why cannot I do in telugu which is my mother tongue. I am also disappointed, but next time I will make sure I have some dates for the post productions works, so that I can dub my own dialogues in the next telugu film. Now okariki okaru is being dubbed in Tamil and I have already completed the dubbing for the same in Tamil version.
Sri: Your favorite directors with whom you love to work?
Sriram : Beyond doubt, it will be Maniratnam. I am knocking his doors since a long time. Then from tamil I like to do with bala, fazil etc,.
In Telugu I am longing to work with Krishnavamsi, I missed couple of chances with him. He approached me immediately after Rojakuttam (roja pulu in telugu), but the dates could not be adjusted at that time.
I had a talk with him recently in okariki okaru shooting.
But I would definitely like to do a film with him, he is a tremendous director. And there are many new directors in telugu who are very talented and hardworking the list will be big (laughs), like Poori and Vinayak etc.. I am ready to work with them given a chance and prove myself.
Sri: what are the elements you look for before selecting a script?
Sriram : Definitely the story. It is not that story should revolve around me. But it should have a combination of everything. Like action, comedy, love, sentiments everything should be interwoven. It should satisfy the all types of audiences, then the proper director to handle it. Luckily so far I got that type of directors.
Sri : who is your favourite actor in the present ?
Sriram : It is chiranjeevi in telugu. And Rajani in tamil. I recently met chiranjeevi sir in jyothika� birthday party, that is the most happiest movement for me. He is such a good person I cannot tell in words. He promised to watch the okariki okaru with me when I come to Hyderabad. He gave me his blessings. He such a nice person. At this age also his dances are amazing. He is an icon. Every mother like to have a son like him, or sees his son in him. Every brother looks at him as an elder brother. And he is such a down to earth person, It is a dream coming true to me. I never expected him to be that simple. And you know about Rajani sir. He is also such a down to earth person. I hope if I can achieve 20 percent of what they are today I will be proud.
Sri: What about the heroines you work with ? Do you prefer any particular person and recommend ?
Sriram : No that all depends on the director and producer. It is entirely their choice.
Sri : so far you worked with the senior heroines like bhoomika and sneha what are your experiences with them?
Sriram : (on bhoomika) oh she is tremendous actress. Working with her is like my dream coming true. I forget everything until I completed a schedule .Though she had couple of films before this and she is much more talented then me. She is pretty down to earth. There is this particular scene where I need to slap her. That shot was on front of the crowd.
I am unable to do it in one take. She encouraged me to do it again and again. The crowd is so much upset that I am hitting a girl and I myself is unable to do it. I am also upset as I cannot lift hand on a girl (laughs). She became so upset and said if you are not going to do again (until the shot is done) I will walk away from the film. I did it finally after three takes and the fourth one was the right one.
Another great thing about her is that she cannot understand tamil, she used to practice the dialogues in her make up room all the time. She used to write in English and in Hindi and used to practice in her make up room. I am fortunate to work with her in my first film. We are still good friends.
On Sneha : she is another actress whom I worked in two films. She is another great actress. Working with her is always a pleasure. I worked with � April Mathathil� and partiban kannavu with her. She is a dedicated actress. One day while coming to the shooting for april mathathil she met with an accident and broke her leg. But she didn�t informed anything about it and completed the shooting with that pain. She is that dedicated.
Sri : (interrupting his flow) but I thought it is you met with the accident at that time?
Sriram : (laughs) yes I also met with the accident after that. When the producer got to know that she is acting with the cruches he gave one month holiday for the shooting. Meanwhile I met with the car accident and was in bed for that one month and enjoyed the holidays in that � (laughs).
Sri: she is another good actress. But how come she is not acting anymore?
Sriram : that is because of the rumors about her that she is getting married soon. I don�t know why press some times does like that. Because of this producers are feared that she might get married in the middle of the picture which will be a bad for the film.
Sri: what about the rumors about your love affair with her?
Sriram : As you said they are rumors, not true. They even got us married with out our knowledge . I don�t know what satisfaction they get in spreading this rumors. It is not all the press who does that, only few.
I think sneha is doing a telugu film now. She is good at her acting, a good professional.
Sri: what about your future projects?
Sriram : I am doing a film with ayam perumal for the film joot , ayam perumal is the one who directed dum dum dum earlier and he is from maniratnam sir school. I just completed a fight scene composed by vijayan sir the film heroine is meera jasmin.
Sri: the heroine of the film �RUN�?
Sriram : yes. She is a live wire. Great actress. She gives good competition to act. I think she is doing a film with Pawan kalayan garu now.
I am also doing another film varnajalam with Sada, she is another natural actress. You will be surprised how they acts so natural and which makes you work more harder to prove your self. I like their natural flavor of acting and I am trying to improve more and more by watching them, Another film I am doing is annasalai for the producers of partiban kannavu and the heroine will be sonia agariwal who acted in kadal kondedan (this film is getting remade in telugu with allari naresh as a hero). There are another two films after this. So I will be busy until the end of the next year (laughs).
Sri: Do you have any brothers and sisters?
Sriram : yes I have one elder brother who works in Washington DC in cannon. He is there for last seven years. He just came here for a visit after seven years. My parents went to America for a visit. My sister-in-law is also working in USA.
Sri : so when are you coming to America?
Sriram : Actually we are supposed to shot second half of okariki okaru there (America). But it was done in Austria in the last minute. I was excited about it when I thought it will be America. But I think I will do it some time for some another film.
Sri : any message to our readers?
Sriram :I wish them a happy diwali and I like to see their inputs on my first telugu straight film.
Telugu cinema suffers abroad
In 2007, the success rate abroad has been very less compared to that in previous years. Two reasons stand out essentially for this poor fare: huge star cast coupled with bad stories and sky-high prices boasting star power. How good is it working for anyone?! The producer who demands an astronomical price for the product, and is getting it, is definitely being benefitted. And, the distributors who do not have any cooperation among themselves are leaping each other with unaffordable rates and are grabbing half-baked products and are releasing them with very high ticket prices to unsuspected audience, so that they can recover their costs.
So, finally, who's losing in the whole ordeal? Poor audiences and exhibitors (sometimes distributors also) who are unable to recover their monies; the producers are happily laughing their way to the bank, giving statements of records to the media for a little more hype!
This year, it all started with the film Desamuduru, which was a super hit in India. The film was brought for Rs 80 Lakhs, as the film's director was Puri Jagannadh, the guy who made the blockbuster Pokiri last year. Yet, Desamuduru turned out as a damp squib abroad. It lost Fifteen Lakhs but it is exhibitors who lost heavily; most of them could not able to recover the theatre rents. As a comparison, Allu Arjun's previous film Happy was bought for less than ten lakh rupees (which includes the seven prints) and turned out to be a profitable venture for the distributors as well as the exhibitors, thanks to its affordable price. When Desamuduru was bought for an astronomical price, the result was distasteful, not because the movie's talk was bad but because it just could not get as much money as has been invested - the estimated loss is as high as sixty lakh rupees! Incidentally though, the same distributor got rights for Shivaji, also at a hefty price that was never before offered to a dubbing film, and the movie's successful fare abroad had given him a breath of fresh air!
Great India films screened abroad the films Jagadam, Madhumasam, Chandamama, Chiruta, and Tulasi this year. Except for the film Madhumasam, all other films left them in cold waters. Before the release of these films, however, everything seemed perfect and "hot". Jagadam, sold in the name of its director Sukumar of Arya fame, was bought for forty lakh rupees. Chandamama, the creator of which is known - particularly among NRI audiences - to be "not creative of late", but they went ahead and got the rights for twenty lakh rupees. Madhumasam was more of a break-even and even made a little profit as it was bought for a lower price. Chiruta, the debut of the megastar's son in combination with the director Puri of Pokiri, was bought for an absurdly heavy price of 1.6 crore rupees, ...plus prints! The ticket prices were hiked to be $16-25, but the film was publicized a lot too, but the film ended up in a loss of forty lakhs despite all efforts.
Tulasi has another story to tell: The film was sold for ninety lakh rupees, a sum such as which was never heard of for any film of venkatesh in the past, thanks to the success of his previous two films ( Aadavari Maatalaku Arthaale Verule...! and Lakshmi) in India. (It may be important to note that Lakshmi was a disaster in the USA while the former saw a business that was about break-even-to-loss abroad.) Eventually, Tulasi is saw a loss of at least sixty lakh rupees for the distributor, since no one seems to be interested in the film after it's bought and released.
RK Films, which gave the blockbuster Bommarillu last year, released three films this year - Munna, Yogi, and Happy Days. Except the latest project, the rest of the films left them unhappy with a loss of about a crore! These two flops were but examples of big movies with high price tags but poor story line, and have thus failed to garner decent openings even. Happy Days, on the other hand, was bought for a big amount, but it still paid off in spite of the story being a regular college campus love story, thanks to the name Sekhar Kammula.
Tolly2Holly screened Pellaina Kottalo, Dhee, Dubai Seenu and Aata. Excepting Aata, all others went ahead to become decent hits and brought profits too, as they were not expensive deals. Aata, which came from the much-celebrated production house and boasted a crazy lead pair, left them shocked and was really a dangerous "game" that left a dent of at least 50% of the seventy lakh rupees of distributors' money.
NRI Chitram released Lakshmi Kalyanam, Maharadi, Aadavari Maatalaki Arthaale Verule...! and Allare Allari this year. Aadavari Maatalaki Arthaale Verule...! was bought for ninety lakh rupees, and became an average, barely break-even fare for the distributor. The rest of the films, all relatively small films, left them with a loss of at least twenty to thirty lakh rupees.
KAD Distribution Company, which used to get all the big star cast films, has almost stopped screening films abroad. This year, they just screened Classmates, which was also because of their good rapport with the producer Ravikishore. Needless to say, the story was not a happy ending for them.
Prawasi Films got the rights of Athidi and Yamadonga. The former was priced more than the gross collections of Pokiri. Can they really recover such a huge amount?! The film was a losing proportion from the very beginning, in spite of charging triple the regular ticket price at places. Yamadonga was a break-even abroad, though it was a super hit in India, marking the first major decent fare abroad for the film's hero Jr. NTR.
Chiru's Shankar Dada Zindabad was one of the major disasters of the year. Being a very poor fare from the first show itself, the film left a big hole in the pockets of the distributors as well as the exhibitors.
Some other films like Seetharamudu, Raghavan (dubbed from Tamil), Adivaram Aadavallaku Selavu, Operation Duryodhana,, Evadaite naakenti etc. had single-day screenings or no screenings at all in spite of being bought into the USA.
Problems with distribution areas:Previously, we used to have a good market in Dubai, but the market there is now nearly zero. The theaters that were previously owned by Indians are now sold off to the local exhibitors who demand seventy percent of the revenue from the screening, which will not work out for Telugu films at any cost. In Singapore and Malaysia, however, rumor mill has it that pirated DVDs are being created after screening films in these countries. Thus, the producers are themselves apprehensive about sending their films to these countries.For these reasons, 20-25% of the market is nearly dry, and the burden of the cost is naturally put on the other areas such as USA.
Problems of the distributors:
Distributors do not have unity in this area. Every distributor is lapping on another with "better" offer to grab a film. Even after buying a film with such an extraordinary price, they do not have freedom to sell the areas on their own terms. Sometimes, they need to show the producer for the rates they are selling and follow their terms. Most of the times, they get their prints later than the initially promised time, which leaves them paying high rents for the theatres without any revenue, and this loss had never in the past been compensated by the producers. The worst part is that the distributors do get the prints but with some reels missing, and the producers promise to compensate only a very meagre part of the loss incurred thus!There was a time when the distributors were compensated if a film was a flop, by offering the next film (of the hero/director/production house) at a lower price, but that's not any more the case, essentially because the distributors do not have one voice of unison anymore. The producers are happily going with one who gives them the highest price, not bothering about the ones that lost money in the past due to their previous flops.
Exhibitors' problems:
The exhibitors have to pay a high price for a relatively small film too. None of the recent films made money to the exhibitors despite higher ticket prices, due to higher theater rentals and due to non-availability of decent theaters for screening, enough to attract viewers.
Audience problems:
Go to any film, they have to pay four times of what they can pay for an English film! Due to the higher rate of the ticket prices, families keep away from theatres. The rate of the tickets in the recent times hit $25 per person for films like Chiruta and Athidi which is too much for any cine lover to bear for one movie, not to mention the price for commute.Rumors have it that the distributors are planning to keep away from Telugu films for at least for next six months, so that films are offered at lesser costs. But, will they stick to their words with big films like Jalsa, Okka Magaadu, Dasavatharam (dubbed from Tamil), etc. coming in for the January? Sources say that both the straight films above are asking not less then a one crore plus each.
Do these heroes have that much market abroad? What was each one's last super hit film here? What profits did the film bring to the overseas distributors? Don, which is slated for release in December, was also bought for an astronomical price that crossed all the collections of Nagarjuna's films before. As long as the distributors and the exhibitors do not have unity, producers will happily make the hay while sun shines, and it is the poor cine lovers who end up paying higher and higher ticket prices for no fault of theirs. With these higher prices, if one is motivated to watch every film online, albeit a pirated copy, who's to be blamed?
Article by Sri
Compiled and Edited by Nachaki
So, finally, who's losing in the whole ordeal? Poor audiences and exhibitors (sometimes distributors also) who are unable to recover their monies; the producers are happily laughing their way to the bank, giving statements of records to the media for a little more hype!
This year, it all started with the film Desamuduru, which was a super hit in India. The film was brought for Rs 80 Lakhs, as the film's director was Puri Jagannadh, the guy who made the blockbuster Pokiri last year. Yet, Desamuduru turned out as a damp squib abroad. It lost Fifteen Lakhs but it is exhibitors who lost heavily; most of them could not able to recover the theatre rents. As a comparison, Allu Arjun's previous film Happy was bought for less than ten lakh rupees (which includes the seven prints) and turned out to be a profitable venture for the distributors as well as the exhibitors, thanks to its affordable price. When Desamuduru was bought for an astronomical price, the result was distasteful, not because the movie's talk was bad but because it just could not get as much money as has been invested - the estimated loss is as high as sixty lakh rupees! Incidentally though, the same distributor got rights for Shivaji, also at a hefty price that was never before offered to a dubbing film, and the movie's successful fare abroad had given him a breath of fresh air!
Great India films screened abroad the films Jagadam, Madhumasam, Chandamama, Chiruta, and Tulasi this year. Except for the film Madhumasam, all other films left them in cold waters. Before the release of these films, however, everything seemed perfect and "hot". Jagadam, sold in the name of its director Sukumar of Arya fame, was bought for forty lakh rupees. Chandamama, the creator of which is known - particularly among NRI audiences - to be "not creative of late", but they went ahead and got the rights for twenty lakh rupees. Madhumasam was more of a break-even and even made a little profit as it was bought for a lower price. Chiruta, the debut of the megastar's son in combination with the director Puri of Pokiri, was bought for an absurdly heavy price of 1.6 crore rupees, ...plus prints! The ticket prices were hiked to be $16-25, but the film was publicized a lot too, but the film ended up in a loss of forty lakhs despite all efforts.
Tulasi has another story to tell: The film was sold for ninety lakh rupees, a sum such as which was never heard of for any film of venkatesh in the past, thanks to the success of his previous two films ( Aadavari Maatalaku Arthaale Verule...! and Lakshmi) in India. (It may be important to note that Lakshmi was a disaster in the USA while the former saw a business that was about break-even-to-loss abroad.) Eventually, Tulasi is saw a loss of at least sixty lakh rupees for the distributor, since no one seems to be interested in the film after it's bought and released.
RK Films, which gave the blockbuster Bommarillu last year, released three films this year - Munna, Yogi, and Happy Days. Except the latest project, the rest of the films left them unhappy with a loss of about a crore! These two flops were but examples of big movies with high price tags but poor story line, and have thus failed to garner decent openings even. Happy Days, on the other hand, was bought for a big amount, but it still paid off in spite of the story being a regular college campus love story, thanks to the name Sekhar Kammula.
Tolly2Holly screened Pellaina Kottalo, Dhee, Dubai Seenu and Aata. Excepting Aata, all others went ahead to become decent hits and brought profits too, as they were not expensive deals. Aata, which came from the much-celebrated production house and boasted a crazy lead pair, left them shocked and was really a dangerous "game" that left a dent of at least 50% of the seventy lakh rupees of distributors' money.
NRI Chitram released Lakshmi Kalyanam, Maharadi, Aadavari Maatalaki Arthaale Verule...! and Allare Allari this year. Aadavari Maatalaki Arthaale Verule...! was bought for ninety lakh rupees, and became an average, barely break-even fare for the distributor. The rest of the films, all relatively small films, left them with a loss of at least twenty to thirty lakh rupees.
KAD Distribution Company, which used to get all the big star cast films, has almost stopped screening films abroad. This year, they just screened Classmates, which was also because of their good rapport with the producer Ravikishore. Needless to say, the story was not a happy ending for them.
Prawasi Films got the rights of Athidi and Yamadonga. The former was priced more than the gross collections of Pokiri. Can they really recover such a huge amount?! The film was a losing proportion from the very beginning, in spite of charging triple the regular ticket price at places. Yamadonga was a break-even abroad, though it was a super hit in India, marking the first major decent fare abroad for the film's hero Jr. NTR.
Chiru's Shankar Dada Zindabad was one of the major disasters of the year. Being a very poor fare from the first show itself, the film left a big hole in the pockets of the distributors as well as the exhibitors.
Some other films like Seetharamudu, Raghavan (dubbed from Tamil), Adivaram Aadavallaku Selavu, Operation Duryodhana,, Evadaite naakenti etc. had single-day screenings or no screenings at all in spite of being bought into the USA.
Problems with distribution areas:Previously, we used to have a good market in Dubai, but the market there is now nearly zero. The theaters that were previously owned by Indians are now sold off to the local exhibitors who demand seventy percent of the revenue from the screening, which will not work out for Telugu films at any cost. In Singapore and Malaysia, however, rumor mill has it that pirated DVDs are being created after screening films in these countries. Thus, the producers are themselves apprehensive about sending their films to these countries.For these reasons, 20-25% of the market is nearly dry, and the burden of the cost is naturally put on the other areas such as USA.
Problems of the distributors:
Distributors do not have unity in this area. Every distributor is lapping on another with "better" offer to grab a film. Even after buying a film with such an extraordinary price, they do not have freedom to sell the areas on their own terms. Sometimes, they need to show the producer for the rates they are selling and follow their terms. Most of the times, they get their prints later than the initially promised time, which leaves them paying high rents for the theatres without any revenue, and this loss had never in the past been compensated by the producers. The worst part is that the distributors do get the prints but with some reels missing, and the producers promise to compensate only a very meagre part of the loss incurred thus!There was a time when the distributors were compensated if a film was a flop, by offering the next film (of the hero/director/production house) at a lower price, but that's not any more the case, essentially because the distributors do not have one voice of unison anymore. The producers are happily going with one who gives them the highest price, not bothering about the ones that lost money in the past due to their previous flops.
Exhibitors' problems:
The exhibitors have to pay a high price for a relatively small film too. None of the recent films made money to the exhibitors despite higher ticket prices, due to higher theater rentals and due to non-availability of decent theaters for screening, enough to attract viewers.
Audience problems:
Go to any film, they have to pay four times of what they can pay for an English film! Due to the higher rate of the ticket prices, families keep away from theatres. The rate of the tickets in the recent times hit $25 per person for films like Chiruta and Athidi which is too much for any cine lover to bear for one movie, not to mention the price for commute.Rumors have it that the distributors are planning to keep away from Telugu films for at least for next six months, so that films are offered at lesser costs. But, will they stick to their words with big films like Jalsa, Okka Magaadu, Dasavatharam (dubbed from Tamil), etc. coming in for the January? Sources say that both the straight films above are asking not less then a one crore plus each.
Do these heroes have that much market abroad? What was each one's last super hit film here? What profits did the film bring to the overseas distributors? Don, which is slated for release in December, was also bought for an astronomical price that crossed all the collections of Nagarjuna's films before. As long as the distributors and the exhibitors do not have unity, producers will happily make the hay while sun shines, and it is the poor cine lovers who end up paying higher and higher ticket prices for no fault of theirs. With these higher prices, if one is motivated to watch every film online, albeit a pirated copy, who's to be blamed?
Article by Sri
Compiled and Edited by Nachaki
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Interview with Sumanth
This is Sumanth's first web interview. We met in the shooting of Yuvakudu. Bhoomika was also there. As she is pure Vegitarian Jayasudha used to bring home cooked Vegitarian food from her house.
Telugucinema.com proudly presents....... an exclusive INTERVIEW with upcoming Hero SUMANTH. Sumanth, the third generation hero from ANR�s family, believes `acting is in his genes�. Though his first film did not do well at the box office, it certainly earned him a formidable place. A natural actor, he wants to prove himself on the tinsel screen. Sumanth takes Telugu Cinema browsers into confidence and pours out his feelings.
Sri: Education and childhood ambitions
Sumanth: I had my schooling in Hyderabad at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. Then I went to USA to become an engineer. But I shifted to film and video joining Columbia. At Columbia I concentrated on direction.
Sri: Then why acting?
Sumanth: I always feel acting is something which is instinctive, Relatively direction is more technical and training is needed. Learning direction and other things behind the camera complements the acting. Hence I learned them all.
Sri: Inspiration for acting
Sumanth: My grandpa is a major inspiration and then chinna mamayya. I grew up with them. Naturally I am inclined to that.
Sri: Any training in acting
Sumanth: Not at all. My first movement before camera is the first shot of Premakatha.
Sri: Surprisingly natural acting!
Sumanth: Probably it has a lot to do with genes. My grandfather and uncle were major driving forces for acting in Premakatha. Credit also goes to Ramu.
Sri: So natural as rural guy
Sumanth: I don't know how I did that. It came very naturally. We speak Telugu at home. I have grown up with Grandpa. He was very particular about Telugu. We don�t even call out parents as Mummy and Daddy.
Sri: Voice is the main
Sumanth: My grandpa kills me if somebody else dubs my voice. Even I feel voice is a very integral part of character. It gives the identity. If I do not dub my voice, I am not keeping myself. I am not true to myself. Hence I am dubbing for myself from the beginning�
Sri: But a common feature for heroines
Sumanth: It is unfortunate that we are not having many Telugu girls coming forward. We were very particular about Telugu girl for the present film. But we could not find one. The Bombay girls are more exposed to modelling and media and coming forward.
Sri: Any difficulty with non-Telugu heroines
Sumanth: It is not difficulty. But certainly there is a difference. Though we explain everything to them we miss some natural thing in it. If somebody understands the language in which she is acting she can do it better. Take the examples of Jayasudha and Sridevi. They act in a very natural way.
Sri: Any burden of having legendary ancestor?
Sumanth: Being the grandson of a legend, I am always proud. But the legendary was never a burden on me. It puts lot of responsibility on me. Hence I worked very hard in Premakatha which established me as an actor. If that legendary were not there I would not have done so well.
Sri: Other films and Projects
Sumanth: Apart from this I am doing another film under Raghavendra Rao�s direction. I am acting with Thatha garu (ANR) in that. It is Aswanidath�s production. After that I will be doing a film for SubbaramiReddy �s Gayathri Films under Kodi Ramakrishna�s direction. Then I have another film to be directed by Jayanth and produced by my father and Sivaprasad.
Sri: Do you select your heroine?
Sumanth: No. I will never interfere in selecting the heroine. I am only concerned with the script. If something is wrong with the script I would point out. After all it is my career. Once I say OK to the script I will confine to my acting.
Sri: Encouraging new directors
Sumanth: Until I establish myself properly there is no point in involving new director. Once I have firm foot in the industry I will be the first person to encourage new directors. I have already spoken to many and keen to work with one of them. But I told him the exact reason and asked him to wait for a couple of films.
Sri: Favourite actors other than the family
Sumanth: Amitab Bachan and Amir khan are my favourite heroes. I like Amir khan in Rangeela. In Kodi's film I am doing a role on those lines. From Hollywood Marlin Brando is my favourite. Sridevi is my favourite actress. I still get nervous when I meet her.
Sri: Any plans for Bollywood
Sumanth: Immediately not interested. I am very content. I will concentrate in Telugu. My primary goal is to establish myself in the little kingdom of Telugu.
Sri: Any dream role
Sumanth: Something like My grandpa�s role in Navarathri. I want to do something like that.
Sri: Favourite spot
Sumanth: Home. My home, which is my grandpa�s home and my uncle�s home. I always move around these two places
.
Sri: Ideas on marriage
Sumanth: I prefer love marriage
Sri: Anything in the process
Sumanth: Nothing. I hope to have one in future. (laugh)
Sri: Any message for Telugucinema.com
Sumanth: Thanks for all the support people are giving us through the site.
Telugucinema.com proudly presents....... an exclusive INTERVIEW with upcoming Hero SUMANTH. Sumanth, the third generation hero from ANR�s family, believes `acting is in his genes�. Though his first film did not do well at the box office, it certainly earned him a formidable place. A natural actor, he wants to prove himself on the tinsel screen. Sumanth takes Telugu Cinema browsers into confidence and pours out his feelings.
Sri: Education and childhood ambitions
Sumanth: I had my schooling in Hyderabad at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. Then I went to USA to become an engineer. But I shifted to film and video joining Columbia. At Columbia I concentrated on direction.
Sri: Then why acting?
Sumanth: I always feel acting is something which is instinctive, Relatively direction is more technical and training is needed. Learning direction and other things behind the camera complements the acting. Hence I learned them all.
Sri: Inspiration for acting
Sumanth: My grandpa is a major inspiration and then chinna mamayya. I grew up with them. Naturally I am inclined to that.
Sri: Any training in acting
Sumanth: Not at all. My first movement before camera is the first shot of Premakatha.
Sri: Surprisingly natural acting!
Sumanth: Probably it has a lot to do with genes. My grandfather and uncle were major driving forces for acting in Premakatha. Credit also goes to Ramu.
Sri: So natural as rural guy
Sumanth: I don't know how I did that. It came very naturally. We speak Telugu at home. I have grown up with Grandpa. He was very particular about Telugu. We don�t even call out parents as Mummy and Daddy.
Sri: Voice is the main
Sumanth: My grandpa kills me if somebody else dubs my voice. Even I feel voice is a very integral part of character. It gives the identity. If I do not dub my voice, I am not keeping myself. I am not true to myself. Hence I am dubbing for myself from the beginning�
Sri: But a common feature for heroines
Sumanth: It is unfortunate that we are not having many Telugu girls coming forward. We were very particular about Telugu girl for the present film. But we could not find one. The Bombay girls are more exposed to modelling and media and coming forward.
Sri: Any difficulty with non-Telugu heroines
Sumanth: It is not difficulty. But certainly there is a difference. Though we explain everything to them we miss some natural thing in it. If somebody understands the language in which she is acting she can do it better. Take the examples of Jayasudha and Sridevi. They act in a very natural way.
Sri: Any burden of having legendary ancestor?
Sumanth: Being the grandson of a legend, I am always proud. But the legendary was never a burden on me. It puts lot of responsibility on me. Hence I worked very hard in Premakatha which established me as an actor. If that legendary were not there I would not have done so well.
Sri: Other films and Projects
Sumanth: Apart from this I am doing another film under Raghavendra Rao�s direction. I am acting with Thatha garu (ANR) in that. It is Aswanidath�s production. After that I will be doing a film for SubbaramiReddy �s Gayathri Films under Kodi Ramakrishna�s direction. Then I have another film to be directed by Jayanth and produced by my father and Sivaprasad.
Sri: Do you select your heroine?
Sumanth: No. I will never interfere in selecting the heroine. I am only concerned with the script. If something is wrong with the script I would point out. After all it is my career. Once I say OK to the script I will confine to my acting.
Sri: Encouraging new directors
Sumanth: Until I establish myself properly there is no point in involving new director. Once I have firm foot in the industry I will be the first person to encourage new directors. I have already spoken to many and keen to work with one of them. But I told him the exact reason and asked him to wait for a couple of films.
Sri: Favourite actors other than the family
Sumanth: Amitab Bachan and Amir khan are my favourite heroes. I like Amir khan in Rangeela. In Kodi's film I am doing a role on those lines. From Hollywood Marlin Brando is my favourite. Sridevi is my favourite actress. I still get nervous when I meet her.
Sri: Any plans for Bollywood
Sumanth: Immediately not interested. I am very content. I will concentrate in Telugu. My primary goal is to establish myself in the little kingdom of Telugu.
Sri: Any dream role
Sumanth: Something like My grandpa�s role in Navarathri. I want to do something like that.
Sri: Favourite spot
Sumanth: Home. My home, which is my grandpa�s home and my uncle�s home. I always move around these two places
.
Sri: Ideas on marriage
Sumanth: I prefer love marriage
Sri: Anything in the process
Sumanth: Nothing. I hope to have one in future. (laugh)
Sri: Any message for Telugucinema.com
Sumanth: Thanks for all the support people are giving us through the site.
palleTooru (1952)
People's art production
palleTooru (1952)
palleTooru (1952)
Technical
Producer: P.Sivaramaiah
Director: Tatineni Prakasa Rao (debut)
Music: Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao
Lyrics: Vasireddy, Sunkara, Sri Sri, Vemulapalli Srikrishna
Script writers: Tatineni Prakasa rao, M.S.Chowdary, Vasireddy, Sunkara
Singers: Ghantasala, P. leela, T.G. Kamalaadevi, V. Sarala, Baby krishnaveni, P. Naageswara Rao, Maadhavapeddi satyam, M.S. Rama Rao, B.Gopalam
Cast:
N.T.Rama Rao ---- Chandram
Savitri --- suguNa
S.V. Ranga Rao --- gaNapati
T.G. Kamala Dev --- Saanta
Nagabhushanam --- konDayya
Seshamaamba --- Pichamma
Padmavathi --- Siitamma
Baby krishnaveni
Koduru acchayya --- saambayya
Mikkilineni Raadhaa Krishna murthy --- Lawyer
Hemalatha --- Lawyer's wife
chadalavaaDa Kutumba Rao --- subbanna
RamaNaa Reddy --- Sankaram
Songs:***image2***
vacchindOy sankraanti --- Chorus
vacchindOy sankraanti --- Chorus
Srii RamadramaaNa govindO hari. naaku abhayamu iyy kunte vadalanu (haridaasu paaTa)
raajunuraa nE raajunuraa --- saraLa with baby kRshNavENi
gangaa nadi teeramuna unnadi oka chakkani ooru (harikatha)
chEyetti jai koTTu telugODaa gatamento ghanakeerti kalavODaa - ghanTasaala, chorus
polaalanannii halaala dunni - ghanTasaala, chorus
aa manasulOna aa choopulOna parugulettE madhura bhaavanaa mallika � GhanTasala
raama hare Sreerama hare.. Rama hare ani palukave manasa
ammaa� seetamma� Apadala paalayitivaa� Ghantasala
dESa sEvakula hRdayam, navaneeta tulyamaa hRdayam --
O miThaari! dil kaThaari! nannu chErave.. O vayari chenta cheri�
aa sankraantiki ee sankraantiki enta vibhEdhamO
korinadistaaDu annaya naaku korinadistaaDu --- Baby Krishnaveni
aandhruDaa! lEvaraa! aandhruda biraana -- chorus
The film's outdoor shooting was done at ghanTasaalapaalem village in Krishna district.
Story of the film:Movie starts with the sankraanti song and it was picturized at Ghantasaalapaalem village beautifully. Chandram (NTR) is a progressive youth, wants to improve his village. In the same village lives ganapathi (S.V.R), who is a womanizer. Chandram is in love with the neighbor Sambaiah's (koduru acchayya) daughter Suguna (saavitri). Ganapathi's aide's are kondayya (nagabhusanam) and Sankaram (ramaNaa Reddy). Chandram opposes ganapati's proposal of removing the library (visalaandhra) from the village for replacing it with aaSramam for baalayOgi. Ganapati sees Saanta in aaSramam and tries to molest her. Luckily she escapes. Sankaram informs konDayya that she is in affair with chandram. Kondayya believes this and asks his wife to leave the house. Shanta leaves the house and takes shelter at chandram's
house. Pichamma abuses chandram's sister (krishnaveni) about Saanta. Saanta leaves the house and takes shelter in lawyer's house in town.
Chandram proposes suguNa, while suguNa's father agrees to give her hand to ganapati on the insistence of ganapati's sister piccamma (SEshamaamba). KonDayya gets arrested by police on a false case, which was framed by gaNapati. konDayya realizes the truth about gaNapati. Saambayya realizes that ganapathi is not good and cancels the marriage. Sitamma (chandram's mother) dies because she of not getting the medical treatment as gaNapati threatens the doctor if he treats her.
Sankaram hunches a plan to trap suguNa with the help of washerman subbanna's (chadalavaaDa kutumba Rao) wife. But subbanna informs it to chandram. Chandram rescues suguNa. While kondayya comes and beats gaNapati. Finally kondayya and Saanta meet each other, while chandram and suguNa gets married and gaNapati and Sankaram go to jail.
Story of the film:Movie starts with the sankraanti song and it was picturized at Ghantasaalapaalem village beautifully. Chandram (NTR) is a progressive youth, wants to improve his village. In the same village lives ganapathi (S.V.R), who is a womanizer. Chandram is in love with the neighbor Sambaiah's (koduru acchayya) daughter Suguna (saavitri). Ganapathi's aide's are kondayya (nagabhusanam) and Sankaram (ramaNaa Reddy). Chandram opposes ganapati's proposal of removing the library (visalaandhra) from the village for replacing it with aaSramam for baalayOgi. Ganapati sees Saanta in aaSramam and tries to molest her. Luckily she escapes. Sankaram informs konDayya that she is in affair with chandram. Kondayya believes this and asks his wife to leave the house. Shanta leaves the house and takes shelter at chandram's
house. Pichamma abuses chandram's sister (krishnaveni) about Saanta. Saanta leaves the house and takes shelter in lawyer's house in town.Chandram proposes suguNa, while suguNa's father agrees to give her hand to ganapati on the insistence of ganapati's sister piccamma (SEshamaamba). KonDayya gets arrested by police on a false case, which was framed by gaNapati. konDayya realizes the truth about gaNapati. Saambayya realizes that ganapathi is not good and cancels the marriage. Sitamma (chandram's mother) dies because she of not getting the medical treatment as gaNapati threatens the doctor if he treats her.
Sankaram hunches a plan to trap suguNa with the help of washerman subbanna's (chadalavaaDa kutumba Rao) wife. But subbanna informs it to chandram. Chandram rescues suguNa. While kondayya comes and beats gaNapati. Finally kondayya and Saanta meet each other, while chandram and suguNa gets married and gaNapati and Sankaram go to jail.
Miscellaneous Information: This is the first film not only for the producer and director, but also for many of the artists, who were active members of #prajaa naaTya manDali# (the A.P section of IPTA), the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India. This film is considered to be a production of #prajaa naaTya manDali#. It is also the first film to show the Communist Flag on Telugu screen. Also, the film pleads for a separate state for the Telugus and effectively uses the already popular song: #chEyetti jaikoTTu telugODaa# (however in a slightly abridged form!) penned by vEmulapalli SriikRshNa. (One may also note that the last song: # aandhruDaa! lEvaraa! was deliberately 'inserted' in support of separate state.) Famous poet (and lyricist) Sri Sri gets introduced as #prajaakavi# in the film and his poem: #pratij~na# from #mahaaprasthaanam# is well picturized (again in a slightly abridged version). ghanTasaala's compositions of the above mentioned two songs and his rendition of #aa manasulOna# are a true delight to hear!
About the directorTateneni Prakash Rao (1924-1992): Prakash Rao born in kapilESwarapuram village in Krishna dist.. He was associated with CPI before the independence and associated with the radical movement in telugu. That is why he showed lot of prajasahiti songs in his first film. He joined with LV Prasad and directed LV Prasad in drohi where he is a assistant director for that film. He made films with Pratyagaatma under Prasad Arts Pictures.
The films he directed:
1952 - palleTooru
1953 - picchi pullayya
1954 - nirupEdalu, parivartana
1956 - jayam manadE, Mathar Kula Manikam, charaNadaasi, amaradeepam
1958 - Amardeep, Utama Puthran, Sitamgarh
1959 - Kanniraindha kanavan, Nalla theerupu, illarikam
1960 - College girl, maababu, Ellorun Innattu Mannar
1961 - Anbu Magan, Sasural
1962 - Kathirunda Kankal
1963 - Bahurani, Hamrah
1964 - Padakotti
1965 - Bahu beti
1966 - Suraj
1968 - Duniya, Izzat, Vaasna
1969 - Nannha Farista
1970 - Ghar Ghar ki kahani
1972 - Rivaaj
1973 - Minor Babu
1974 - Gali patalu
1975 - Samsaram
1976 - Pogarubottu
1977 - Chiranjeevi Rambabu
1978 - Ganga Bhavani, Hamara Sansar
1981 - Asha Jyothi
1983 - Engalalum Mudiyum
1988 - Kab tak chup rahungi
The films he directed:
1952 - palleTooru
1953 - picchi pullayya
1954 - nirupEdalu, parivartana
1956 - jayam manadE, Mathar Kula Manikam, charaNadaasi, amaradeepam
1958 - Amardeep, Utama Puthran, Sitamgarh
1959 - Kanniraindha kanavan, Nalla theerupu, illarikam
1960 - College girl, maababu, Ellorun Innattu Mannar
1961 - Anbu Magan, Sasural
1962 - Kathirunda Kankal
1963 - Bahurani, Hamrah
1964 - Padakotti
1965 - Bahu beti
1966 - Suraj
1968 - Duniya, Izzat, Vaasna
1969 - Nannha Farista
1970 - Ghar Ghar ki kahani
1972 - Rivaaj
1973 - Minor Babu
1974 - Gali patalu
1975 - Samsaram
1976 - Pogarubottu
1977 - Chiranjeevi Rambabu
1978 - Ganga Bhavani, Hamara Sansar
1981 - Asha Jyothi
1983 - Engalalum Mudiyum
1988 - Kab tak chup rahungi
Acknowledgements : Thanks to Sri Srinivas ParachuriInformation of Tateneni prakash rao from Gautam
-by Sri
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