Young Vijayawada-bred lad Shanmukha Prasanth is making his directorial debut with 'Writer Padmabhushan', which is going to be released in theatres on February 3.
In this interview, the debutant filmmaker says that his film is content-driven. "As far as I am concerned, content is like a mother who saves its child - the film," Prasanth says. He throws light on Suhas' character in the movie, his journey so far in the industry, what to expect from the movie, and more.
I come from Vijayawada and completed my Engineering there. After migrating to Hyderabad, I started film trials. Since my middle-class elders would not approve of my film dreams, I lied to them saying I was getting trained in some software course in Ameerpet. I used to attend interviews for writing gigs. I would even get selected and used to keep it under wraps. The selections gave me the confidence that I am made for this industry.
I worked on 'Colour Photo' for 25 days. I also co-wrote Suhas anna's next movie 'Family Drama'. It was a natural progression that I turned into a filmmaker with a Suhas anna movie.
'Writer Padmabhushan' is a family entertainer sans festivities, dances and all. It is that sort of family film where discussions between family members pertain to everyday issues like paying bills, etc. Every character is noisy in their own way.
The backdrop is Vijayawada not because I and Suhas anna hail from that city. It's because the protagonist is a writer that I selected the town. The male lead is a librarian and his world is filled with books around him.
Writers are true heroes in my opinion. It's they who originate ideas even for movies. My respect for them made me write my first film's hero as a writer. The film tells the story of a writer's journey. Whether he manages to become a novelist, in the end, is what the film is about. He writes a novel and his journey thereafter is filled with hilarity.
There is also a suspense factor. It doesn't mean that the film is a thriller in the sense of a murder mystery or something. My strength is humour. I am a fan of Jandhyala garu, EVV garu and Srinu Vaitla garu's movies like 'Venky' and 'Dubai Seenu'.
Tina Shilparaj played the heroine. Asish Vidyarthi garu and Rohini garu played the male lead's parents. I am glad that they liked my work. I cast the former because I liked him so much in films like 'Gudumba Shankar'. What you have seen in the trailer is just a small part. There is more to the film!
The budget and shooting time was decided upon before the film went on the floors. I completed the shoot in 45 working days. The producers were ready for a 60-day schedule. I was intent on wrapping up the shoot within the budget.
Script-writing is my best buddy. Whether I am happy or sad, I am involved in writing.
