A full-length feature film that cost just under Rs. 50 lakh has a female protagonist, was directed and produced by a woman and in which 50 per cent of the crew are women. That’s ‘The Anushree Experiments’ made together by ‘She Creates Cinema’ and Movie Knight Studios.
What really mattered was the appreciation of Vijayendra Prasad, who wrote the stories for two of India’s biggest movies - ‘Bajrangi Bhai Jaan’ featuring Sallu bhai and S.S. Rajamouli’s ‘Bahubali’ and of Paruchuri Gopalakrishna, a veteran writer with about 350 films to his credit. These and more details of the 109 minute-long feature film that will hit the screens on April 1 with a clean ‘U’ censor rating, the second by filmmaker Aparna Malladi, were revealed at an interaction here on Tuesday.
“I have seen the film and she knows the punch of the story. She is a genius and her calibre is evident. Her film is a heart-warming achievement offering wholesome entertainment. It brought tears to my eyes,” Mr. Vijayendra Prasad said. Mr. Gopalakrishna minced no words in saying that the experiment of a Telugu filmmaker needed to be promoted.
“At least 90 out of 100 households will have an Anushree. Ravindranath Tagore said teenage was a dangerous age. I am sure that this film will spawn a new trend,” he added.
Acknowledging the support she got from two eminent writers, she said, “I am grateful to the writers who are already well-validated in the industry and glad that they are still open. ‘The Anushree Experiments’ is my family story, actually my coming of age story,” she told the media.
Asked for production details, Ms. Aparna said while it took eight months of pre-production work and was canned in just 17 days of shooting in and around Hyderabad.
In the cast are lead actor Ulrika Krishnamurti (‘Rockford’ fame) essaying the role of Anushree Sharma and Meka Ramakrishna of ‘Bahubali’ as her father.
Others in the cast include the Los Angeles-based Anita Kalathara (‘The Mindy Project’) and Hemanth Yerra (‘Varadhi’), apart from the US-based actor from Karimnagar, Vengal Rao Kanaparthi, playing the love interest of the lead actor.
“I made this film to inspire young women who are dealing with their emerging adulthood and are trying to find their freedom to realise their full potential in a world of pure possibilities,” Ms. Aparna summed it up.
Her film is a heart-warming achievement offering wholesome entertainment, says Vijayendra Prasad
