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YNOT Studios and Reliance Entertainment proudly present ‘MARTIN LUTHER KING’ (Telugu) which is hitting screens on October 27. Produced by Mahayana Motion Pictures, the film is directed by Puja Kolluru. It features Sampoornesh Babu in the lead role while senior artistes VK Naresh and Sharanya Pradeep play key roles.

The film’s teaser, released on Gandhi Jayanthi day, elicited an overwhelmingly positive response for its unique blend of political satire and entertainment, making it a refreshing addition to Telugu cinema. The film also showcases Sampoornesh Babu in a captivating new role as an actor.

As part of the promotions, director Puja Kolluru interacted with the media on Saturday. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Can you please give a brief introduction about yourself?
I am a daughter of a Journalist who grew up in Vijayawada’s Satyanarayanapuram. After studying up to 10th Class in Kendriya Vidyalaya, I was thinking about what to opt for because I was not a science student. There was no course that could cover both science and arts. After one year, I came to know about United World College of Mahindra. South African anti-apartheid activist and politician was honorary president of the institute. Education has been like movea ment for them for the last 50 years. The institute runs with this objective irrespective of caste, religion and region. It is located in Pune. When I applied, I was fortunate to get selected from 2,000 applicants. I was offered a Rs 25 lakhs scholarship. I was fortunate to study Physics, Economics, English literature, Spanish and one art subject — Film Studies.
During that time, I was so much influenced by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro who directed Pan’s Labyrinth. He also directed The Shape of Water which was awarded The Oscars. So Pan’s Labyrinth is a Spanish film that tells the Spanish Civil War from the perspective of a 10-year-old girl. I grew up watching Aakali Rajyam with my father and another late legendary director Viswanath’s iconic films. Later, the storytelling and the way stories are being churned out are quite different.

Later to study my graduation, I applied to 4 universities in the USA. Although I secured a seat in all of them, Ringling College of Art and Design came forward offering me a scholarship of Rs 1.7 crore. I studied for four years, I had an amazing faculty who worked for some big Hollywood films. The team, who worked with ‘American Beauty’, taught me that was when I first learned about colours used in cinema. Later, I worked with Hollywood independent filmmakers. Hollywood studios work just like a corporate setup. But after coming to Tollywood, the atmosphere here is quite different. I worked with Swapna Dutt during the time of ‘Mahanati’.

Having studied filmmaking in the USA, what made you choose a remake for the debut?
I’ve to tell a story. It doesn’t matter whether it is a biopic or a remake. When I approached producers, they simply said it is a story that should be made after 5 years. I had already wasted a precious time of three years. When I got the offer, I felt it was the right script that I was looking for. I have many scripts with me. The themes like international integration. But Tollywood’s functioning was different here. And the OTT too is a proxy to the cinema. They go by assumptions and statistics of what the audience actually wants. It was a culture shock for me watching all these here. So, usually, the stories I write can relate to Vijaywada and the USA. By looking at my appearance, people in the industry asked me to come with family dramas and romantic entertainers which are not my cup of tea.

Is it you who joined with Venkatesh Maha or did he join hands with you?
It was I who first collaborated with Venkatesh Maha garu. During the making of Marmanu, the crowd-funding film, I happened to hear the script and I was so thrilled. YNOT Studios Sashi approached Maha garu with a script for Mandela. They want to remake it. Maha politely turned down the offer as he has so many scripts in the pipeline. That’s when I asked Maha garu if I am interested in taking up the project. The story may look like a political satire, but there is a personal angle and a discrimination angle to it. I grew up in a society where I had to face discrimination as a young girl. So I told him that I can bring the depth into the story with all my personal experiences. I feel so proud to work with Maha garu.

Vijayawada is an epicentre of political activity. When you make a political satire, how your experiences with the society helped you in the script?
Society is not so ideal as we’re taught in civics textbooks. You never find an ideal democratic nation in our society. Growing in Vijayawada, the socio-segregations that I have seen there, have all been included in the film. Maha garu has so much strength in writing screenplay and dialogues. Because he came from the people, he observed so closely. So if I wrote them, it would have been quite different.

Is it your choice to cast a comedian like Sampoornesh Babu as the lead protagonist in the film?
No, it was Maha garu’s call. We had cast options of 64 artistes. Usually if we sit and discuss, we come to a conclusion about who would be the best cast for the principal character. It took 20 days to zero in on Sampoo. If it was other than Sampoo, only that actor is visible. But someone like a simple man, a common man like Sampoornesh Babu appears on the screen, it appears as though you brought a common man on the stage. That’s his identity. Sampoornesh Babu garu is born for this role.

How welcoming is Tollywood for a female director like you?
It is very welcoming. If a woman filmmaker is coming to the industry, she has nothing to do with what the industry thinks about her. How determined she is is important. There were problems in Hollywood too. Sexism has changed a lot in the film industry after the emergence of social media. There are two different generations.

The two Telugu States are undergoing a politically charged atmosphere due to elections. To what extent did you try to present the present political situation in Martin Luther King?
Mandela, the original Tamil flick reflects Tamil politics. Here, it is entirely different. Be it the pop culture references or from the cinema, we tried to show how people are leading their lives. Without political essence, the film can’t be a satirical one. We haven’t made the film to appease someone or mock somebody. If there is anything bias in the film it would be the bias that we have for the people, for the common man.

So many comparisons keep coming in your mind when you deal with a remake.
I have not directed Martin Luther King by watching the original. I have not kept Mandela as the parameter. Maha garu wrote the script adapting the story of Tamil original. As a director, I made the film going by the script. It’s a completely different story. It has one year of our hard work into it. You will see a different film. We have changed the socio-political aspect — rather than taking the references of the original film, we took the lower castes which are being suppressed which are facing discrimination. The cobbler caste. That we have incorporated in the movie.

What made you cast Venkatesh Maha as the actor in the film?
We have first approached a big artiste. Unfortunately, he got busy with so many projects. That’s when we roped in Mahi.

What are the major highlights of the film?
It’s a complete fun and comedy entertainer. From a five-year-old girl dancing to folk music to the 80-year-old economic professor — everyone would enjoy this laugh riot. This satire is not just for laughs. It will be embedded in the story. That is the highlight in terms of entertainment point of view. In terms of vote point of view, how important a vote is in a democracy already exists in the story. But we amped up very much. The King, the voter is the king you see the tagline, that is the punchline of the story. Martin Luther King had fought for civil rights — especially against the discrimination of vote. I grew up listening to the name Martin Luther King. That’s how I got connected with the name.

You didn’t take the original music composer for the film. Why so?
Music changes everything, as I said we didn’t want to make a remake, we want to make a film adaptation. One of the key elements is music. Smaran Sai is a young blood. He is not recognised much although after he did RX100. I loved Smaran Sai’s work ethics. There are 5 songs in the film, you will never know whether they exist in the film. They just go with the flow. Rehman gave the lyrics.

One of the most gorgeous actors of our times, Katrina Kaif is set to melt hearts and set the internet on fire in Tiger 3’s first song Leke Prabhu Ka Naam that drops on Monday, October 23rd!

Katrina sports 7 smoking looks in the song and says Leke Prabhu Ka Naam is one of the most favourite songs of her entire career!

Katrina says, “Leke Prabhu Ka Naam stands out as a visually captivating song. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Cappadocia, Turkey, this song has to be visually one of my favourites. Teaming up once more with my favourite Vaibhavi Merchant after Mashallah and Swag Se Swagat.”

She adds, “Styled by one and only Anaita Shroff Adajania who has truly excelled in curating a stunning array of looks for me. In Leke Prabhu Ka Naam, Anaita has crafted 7 remarkable looks, each exuding an undeniable sense of glamour and unique silhouettes.”

In the teaser of the song that was released yesterday and went viral immediately, Salman & Katrina showed off incredible chemistry in this vibey dance track that has been composed by Pritam and sung by Benny Dayal , Anusha Mani! Both the superstars look drop-dead gorgeous in this song that will surely become the party anthem this festive season!

Katrina says that the songs from the Tiger franchise have always been iconic chartbusters and she expects Leke Prabhu Ka Naam to meet the soaring expectations of people.

The actress says, “Songs have always been one of the highlights in the Tiger films. I love how Vaibhavi captured the vibe and dynamic between Tiger & Zoya in this song in a new way. It embodied the vibrant and energetic feel of the song that fans anticipate from both of us.”

Katrina admits that she loves dancing with Salman Khan! She says, “Dancing with Salman is always amazing & I take away so many wonderful memories of shooting for Leke Prabhu Ka Naam. Just as Swag Se Swagat was received with so much love, we hope Leke Prabhu Ka Naam will raise the bar even higher.”

Salman Khan & Katrina Kaif are an all-time biggest on-screen couple in the history of Indian cinema. They have delivered historic blockbusters & generation-defining chartbusters. Now they are back again in Aditya Chopra’s Tiger 3 reprising their iconic characters, super-agents Tiger and Zoya from the YRF Spy Universe and the internet is in frenzy!

Directed by Maneesh Sharma, Tiger 3 is set to release this year on Diwali, November 12, Sunday!

Combinations the runs successfully tend to repeat over again and again due to their compatibility. One such combination is Natural Star Nani and Vivek Athreya who worked on the film “Ante Sundaraaniki…” 

The most lovable combination combined again with DVV Entertainments and the Nani31 announcement video is out now.

The movie is produced by DVV Danayya and Kalyan Dasari of DVV Entertainments who delivered RRR which went to global recognition with Oscar Awards.

This time with intense eyes from Nani in the announcement video looks promising that this combo is planning to do something more exciting compared to Ante Sundaraaniki. The Short video gave a look into the hard work and shoot preparation they are working on.

The background score and the color tint in the announcement video show that this exciting combo is exploring something unique this time dropping an exciting update mentioning that Nani31 will be unchained on the 23rd of this month and the muhurtham on the 24th.   

For more Natural Star Nani’s updates on Nani31 follow Telugu Funda on your favorite Social Media Site and Apps.

God of Masses Nandamuri Balakrishna’s ‘Bhagwant Kesari’ received blockbuster success. Directed by successful director Anil Ravipudi, this film starring Kajal Aggarwal as the heroine and playing the key role of Srila, was released worldwide on October 19 as a Dussehra gift under the banner of the famous production company Shine Screens. In the backdrop of successful run of ‘Bhagwant Kesari’ with record breaking collections, the film unit organized the blockbuster press meet.

Srileela spoke that Bhagwant Kesari’s victory gave great joy. The way I see myself has changed with this movie. Thanks to the director Anil Ravipudi for giving such a nice role. It is not common for a girl to get a chance to fight in a Balakrishna film. He encouraged me greatly. Thanks to Balakrishna for giving me such a great opportunity. Everyone is very connected to the emotional scenes. The audience for our movie is like the baby Vizzi. Such a good content is so well received. The whole family is enjoying the movie together. Thank you to the audience for such a great success,” she said.

Director Anil Ravipudi said,  We have been saying the same thing ever since the promotions of this film started. He said, “This movie is a long time.” That was made true today. Very happy. As a director, ‘Bhagwant Kesari’ gave complete satisfaction. There has been a tremendous response from all sides. The audience connected very well with the human emotions shown in the film and the bond between father and child. A good content to raise a girl like a tiger went to the masses. Balakrishna went beyond his comfort zone and made this story about women empowerment. Hats off to Balakrishna. Everyone is talking great about Balakrishna’s performance. With this movie, he rose to greater heights as a hero. Thanks to Balakrishna for giving me such a good opportunity. Srileela did a wonderful job as Vijji Papa. Especially in the action episode, she took special training and made it extraordinary. Those episodes are giving goose bumps. The movie was very well received. This is just the beginning. Dussehra is ten days away. Get a clean run. Let’s talk further. Thank you to the audience for such great support and such a big success. We are going to organize another big event with Balakrishna. “Bhagwant Kesari celebrations are going on,” he said.

Producer Sahu Garapati said, “Heartfelt thanks to Balakrishna for playing such a wonderful role and giving us such a great film.”

Ananth Sriram said, Thanks to the audience for making ‘Bhagwant Kesari’ such a great success. I feel lucky to write the song Uyyala Uyyala in this. Bhagwant Kesari is a film that is getting national records and national awards through a single film. There is no doubt about this.’

Ramajogayya Shastri said that he got goosebumps many times while watching the movie ‘Bhagwant Kesari’. Balakrishna’s performance is superb. Everything is perfect for this movie. There is a lot of diversity in Anil. It came out with this movie. Srileela has done her best in her role. Taman has done very nice music. Anil wrote good songs. Congratulations to all the film unit. I am happy to be a part of this film.

Young and talented director Tharun Bhaskar Daasyam, who delivered blockbuster hits with his first two films, is coming up with his third film, the unique crime comedy Keeda Cola. The trailer of this film presented by hero Rana Daggubati has raised the expectations of the film.

Now the makers have started Keeda Kola musical promotions. Vivek Sagar is composing the music and released the song Dipiri Dipiri from this film. Vivek composed this song in a unique style.

Vocals, lyrics, instruments, song programming are all very catchy with new age sounding. Hanuman CH’s singing of this song with lyrics by Bhardwaj Gali is very energetic. The Arabic rap heard in the song was also entertaining.

This film is being made as production number 1 under the VG Cinema banner and is being produced by K. Vivek Sudhanshu, Saikrishna Gadwal, Srinivas Kaushik and Sripad. Cinematography by AJ Aaron, Editor by Upendra Varma, Art Director by Ashish Teja Pulala.

Keeda Cola will release worldwide on November 3.

Cast: Brahmanandam, Raghu Ram, Ravindra Vijay, Jeevan Kumar, Vishnu, Tarun Bhaskar, Chaitanya Rao Madadi, Rag Mayur etc.

Written and Directed by: Tarun Bhaskar Dasyam

Production House – Viji Sainma

Writer’s Room – Quick Fox

Producers: K. Vivek Sudhanshu, Saikrishna Gadwal, Srinivas Kaushik, Sripad Nandiraj & Upendra Verma

Submitted by: Rana Daggubati

Music: Vivek Sagar

Cinematography: AJ Aaron

Editor: Upendra Verma

Art Director: Ashish Teja Pulala

Costumes: Poojita Tadikonda.

To enjoy more music from Keeda Cola follow Telugu Funda on every Social Media Site and Apps to get Songs that chill you up.

From the makers of National Award Winning Production House – 2020, “Color Photo” and 100 Crore Club Blockbuster Production House – 2023 “Baby” shoot commenced for a brand new film with Anand Devarakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya in the lead roles.

The movie is written and Produced by Sai Rajesh, with another producer SKN, who previously delivered blockbusters like Ee Rojullo and Taxiwala. The film is directed by Ravi Namburii. Music is composed by Vijay Bulganin. The movie is expected to be a musical entertainer for a pure love story.

The “Baby” movie which was released in the year 2023 and acted by Anand, Viraj, and Vaishnavi attained cult movie status by the audiences and was a huge success and shot fame to both the lead actors. Many Industry heads acclaimed Baby as one unique film ever produced in recent years including Megastar Chiranjeevi.

The film is geared towards Summer 2024 release.

Telugu Funda wishes the team to become a huge success.

For fast-track updates about tollywood, follow Telugu Funda On your favorite Social Media Sites and Apps

Big budgeted prestigious film ‘Spark L.I.F.E’ introducing young hero Vikranth to the Telugu film industry. Vikranth who is making his acting debut as Hero has also written the story and screenplay for the film. Mehreen Pirzada and Rukshar Dhillon are the female leads. A film by Deaf Frog Productions.

Hesham Abdul Wahab of ‘Hridayam’ and Kushi fame is scoring the music for this movie which is being made under the banner of Deaf Frog Productions. Malayalam veteran actor Guru Somasundaram playing the villain. The expectations are high on this action thriller and makers leaving no stone unturned, in giving the best experience for the audience. This psychological action thriller will be releasing in theatres on November 17th. Today makers unveiled the film’s theatrical trailer in a grand launch event, on this occasion,

Music director Hesham Abdul Wahab said, “Spark is my second film that I’m scoring after blockbuster Kushi. The two songs in this movie have already got a good response from the audience. Vikranth came to Cochin and met me for this film. I know how much vision he has been working for this film since then till now. He gave me good support and made me work. I think the audience will love the film.

Actor Guru Somasundaram said, “I am a Tamil actor. But because of the Malayalam film Minnal Murali, everyone thought I was a Malayalam actor. I acted as a villain in Spark movie. It is a pleasure to act together with Vikranth in this movie. My role is very important and its unique. Even though I didn’t know Telugu, I learned and dubbed for my role. Thanks to all who supported me. This movie, which is going to be released on November 17, will rock.”

Heroine Mehreen said that the title of the movie “Spark” sparked curiosity in everyone. Vikranth and Guru Somasundaram are going to greet the Telugu audience for the first time with this movie. Thanks to our producer Leela garu. We made a good movie with her great support. You can understand that just by watching the trailer on screen now. I want everyone to watch this movie which is going to be released on November 17.

Hero Vikranth said, “Spark” was my three-year dream. I think everyone loved the trailer. I read something three years ago while traveling on a train in the US. Every man dies twice. First of all, he will die if he cannot interpret the dreams. It says that he will die physically again. As soon as I read it, I felt that I had forgotten my dreams after falling into the job and earning. I am a movie freak. So, I thought to make a film. As planned, I worked hard for a year and a half and wrote the story of Spark Movie. We worked hard for another year and a half and produced the film.

He added “We didn’t compromise in the making. As far as this movie is concerned, it is a multi-genre movie. It has action and love story, thrilling elements, comedy, and intense drama. Due to its universal appeal, we are releasing it in multiple languages across the pan India range. I played the hero role. Next we have to talk about gorgeous Mehreen garu. She has already impressed the Telugu audience in many roles. Now with Spark, she will entertain in another unique role. This is going to be a memorable role in her career. Ruksar Dhillon is also familiar to the Telugu audience. She also entertains in a unique role. Guru Somasundaram garu, who created a sensation in the national range with Minnal Murali film, is playing antagonist role in our film. Vennela Kishore, Satya, Brahmanandam garu, Suhasini, Nasser, Shayaji Shinde garu all acted in good roles. When it comes to Technicians, Hesham Abdul Wahab has provided excellent music. Two songs have already been released. There are three more songs, which will release soon. You will feel like you’ve watched good movie after watching Spark L.I.F.E on November 17th. Everyone will definitely like the movie.”