27 July 2024
Hyderabad

Writer-director P Mahesh Babu is gung-ho about joining forces with Ram Pothineni and Mythri Movie Makers for his next following the successful Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty (MSMP). Terming it as an “exciting opportunity” in an exclusive chat with idlebrain.com, he begins, “Both Ram and Mythri are proven names in their respective arenas. While one is an energetic star, the other is a powerful production house. Collectively, we will make something fabulous.”

Reminiscing on how this collaboration took flight, Mahesh points out that he got a call from Mythri after MSMP and things fell into place one after the other. “I pitched a couple of ideas and they liked the one that I’m making with Ram. I took time to develop it fully and as we were discussing names to headline it, somewhere we felt Ram would be the best bet for it,” he recalls, adding, “When we reached out to him, we got an appointment within no time. Initially, he gave me a certain timeframe to narrate but 10 minutes into the narration, he wanted to know how long it will take for the entire story to be narrated. I said two and a half hours may be. I ended up narrating it for three and a half hours. I could feel that he was excited about the story. I left his home soon after. Cut to two hours later, I got a call from producer Ravi Shankar, saying Ram was super excited with the story and wants to be a part of the project.”

The untitled film, Mahesh reveals, will narrate the emotional and heartwarming story of the protagonist (played by Ram) laced with a generous dose of humour. “It will have a certain intensity and ideology. It’s a fresh and organic story which anyone can connect to. I believe it’s necessary to tell such a story,” he asserts.

While he is cagey about revealing the nature of Ram’s role as it’s still early days, he goes on to mention, “After a long time I feel he will be playing a role which can resonate with many people; it’s a role which will be relatable to all age groups cutting across backgrounds and demographics. The official announcement will be made with a title and a poster and I want the audience to feel the freshness of what we are going to give them.”

According to Mahesh, the creative exchanges with Ram have been rewarding. “Fortunately our wavelengths matched. At times, he reciprocated more than what I expected. I felt he is a good judge. Given his lineup of late, I wondered whether he would lap up to my sensibilities, but he did. Together we are on the same page and we will be able to make the film we want to,” he states.

Mahesh is looking to have the cameras rolling in September. “We have a few sets in Hyderabad, where we will shoot majorly. Work on the sets will commence next month. Some portions will be shot in AP as well,” he notes, adding that they are in the process of finalizing technicians and casting. “A month before we hit the ground running, the actors and technicians should be locked.”

Mahesh will be ringing in his birthday tomorrow. While he is not a big birthday person, he intends to mark the occasion by spending time with family and friends. His parents will be visiting him tomorrow from Visakhapatnam. “And there’s work to do as well,” he smiles, signing off.

-NAGARAJ GOUD