Director Mohankrishna Indraganti stresses the film industry on the second project of his trilogy ‘Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Miku Cheppali’
Director Mohankrishna Indraganti stresses the film industry on the second project of his trilogy ‘Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Miku Cheppali’
For many Telugu film buffs, the trailer of writer-director Mohankrishna Indraganti’s new film Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Miku Cheppali , i want to tell you about that girl), starring Sudheer Babu and Kriti Shetty, may bring back memories of his 2018 film hypnotism, Both the stories are set in the film industry. This is the second in his trilogy on the film industry. “Anyone can make a career out of telling stories inspired by the film industry. I have met vibrant people working in the industry who come from different socio-economic backgrounds. From the actors to the lightmen and junior cast, everyone has an interesting story,” the director says during this conversation in Hyderabad, minutes after doing the final post-production checks for the film to hit the theaters on September 16.
idea for hypnotism Indraganti was enthused by the idea of a trilogy on cinema that had emerged in 2011 and in due course. hypnotism There was a romance drama between Sudheer Babu as a non-filmy man and Aditi Rao Hydari as an actor. It was also a commentary on the methods of the film industry, involving the father of the protagonist, who instilled a desire to act in films. Indraganti says that A Ammayi Gurinchi Miku Cheppali (AAGMC), Sudhir plays a director who is known for his mainstream commercial films: “Kriti is an ophthalmologist who becomes her muse. He wants to cast her in his film but he and his parents hate the film world and have reasons for them. ,
Director Mohankrishna Indraganti | photo credit: special arrangement
Tribute to women in cinema
The story is, in a way, Indraganti’s tribute to young women struggling with their families to pursue a career in cinema: “There is a lot of protest 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 that the film world is morally corrupt; The reasons why he has such beliefs are revealed in the story. At one point Kriti’s character claims that she wants to act and this leads to conflict. ,
The story touches on the issue of casting couch, the director says: “You cannot make a film on the industry or mention the issue. We address this in passing constructively without passing moral judgments on choices made by women who are kept in a tight spot. ,
Indraganti says that the film industry is a microcosm of the world at large, but there is more focus on exploitation because cinema is a public art. “The #MeToo movement exposed exploitation in many other professions, including university professors. Since cinema shows the closeness between characters on screen, people tend to assume that actors have no hesitation in real life as well.”
The #MeToo movement may not have solved all the problems faced by women in the film industry, but things are looking up, says Indraganti: “The hunters know they can’t get away easily. We are seeing more women in various departments including direction and production. When women have decision-making power, they understand the plight of other women and the overall work environment becomes better. The perception is changing that women are available only because they are working in the film industry.”
Director Mohankrishna Indraganti with Kriti Shetty and Sudhir Babu | photo credit: special arrangement
film within a film
The process of showing a film within a film attracted Indraganti: “It’s a ‘meta’ idea. I cast the real Lightman as Lightman for the film shown in the story. The actor is also a within a film.” acting in the film.”
during hypnotismHe shared the basic premise of AAGMC With Sudhir Babu, who expressed keen interest to be a part of this project. “He plays a polar opposite character in that film; When he told me how he wanted to do it, I was convinced he could pull it off. ,
Kriti was a newcomer when she signed AAGMC, Indraganti recalls: “I wanted a heroine who carried the burden of the image. She’s no glam doll in this movie; The story explores her artistic side.” AAGMC Meanwhile faced with odds during the pandemic, Kriti’s other films including uppen was released.
Digital Projects: Mohankrishna Indraganti was approached by some digital platforms to direct or be a showrunner for web series projects. He is open to the digital medium, but understands that it takes longer: “I can’t treat it like a side business. There is a huge risk involved in the digital medium. Those who come to the theatre, may not like the movie much, but it is easy to turn off the channel at home. ,
missing VIndraganti’s previous film V, the action entertainer starring Sudheer Babu and Nani, did not get the warm response that the team was expecting. Indraganti explains, “Since Nani has a huge fan following, a lot of people saw the story from her character’s point of view and thought it was another revenge drama. In fact, during the making of the film, Nani himself told me that her character was like an extended cameo in Sudhir’s film. Also, I got appreciation for the story and characterization from IPS officers and many women. Audience and critics are my biggest strength and I am open to constructive criticism. I’d rather risk exploring different genres than getting stuck in one area. ,
As usual, Indraganti organizes workshops and script reading sessions with her actors so that they can get along well with each other as well as understand their parts better. He calls Sudhir, Kriti Shetty, Srikanth Iyengar and Kalyani Radhakrishnan the four pillars of the story. Intensive discussions with female actors, he says, also helped him garner adequate response: “Kalyani is from Mumbai, a mother of two children 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 a response from Bindu Chandramouli, who appears in an important cameo and Kriti. ,
Venela Kishore plays the somewhat cynical co-director and Rahul Ramakrishna is a screenwriter. “Kishore interacted with several co-directors and brought out his understanding. He plays a co-director who has preconceived notions about women in cinema. Rahul is a writer who doesn’t think much about Sudhir’s character films. He represents the real and idealistic world from which Sudhir is far away. I named Rahul’s character Ramana as a tribute to my favorite author Mullapudi Venkata Raman garu,
theme score
For this film, Indraganti again collaborated with cinematographer PG Vinda and composer Vivek Sagar. He points out that in contrast to Sudhir’s lavish lifestyle, Kriti’s visual tone is different for the segments showcasing the middle-class household. He is confident that the music will be a highlight: “It is a more emotional and intense film and Vivek Sagar’s orchestral score is more brilliant than before. hypnotism, which had a more indie vibe. He has composed a great theme score which will be talked about.”
Indraganti says that he did not intend to make the second film of the trilogy, which was barely within two years. hypnotism, “I got the right story and actors and we started work. But I have no plans to make the third film of the trilogy anytime soon.”