Nandamurifans News

[b]"Travelling to Madanapalle? The air is good there," [/b] said an industry veteran. What he meant was that the atmosphere on the foothills of Horsley Hills is less polluted. The Rishi Valley and the nearby villages with vast fields and greenery add lustre to the ambience. Basically ace cinematographer, Teja’s eyes naturally fell on the scenic villages near Madanapalle, the road less travelled by our film-makers, to shoot his latest directorial venture, Lakshmi Kalyanam.

Teja expressed happiness at making a film for producer K. Mahendra and his son K. Chandrasekhar (Jeethu) and their Geetha Arts banner. Somidevipalle village 55 km. from Madanapalle hosted the day’s shoot with almost all the major actors participating.

The film’s hero Kalyan Ram, heroine Kajal, a new find, Prabha, Tulasi, Sayaji Shinde, Sakunthala, the comedy gang Raghubabu, Kondavalasa, Lakshmipathy, Narsa and a host of other actors were present on location, a beautifully reworked home in the village for the shoot.

The bundle of energy that he is, Teja looks at the script, shows his actors how to perform their part by literally emoting it out to them and then shouting, ’silence’ after a pause, he says aloud ‘camera.’
The camera begins to roll from a mounted mini-crane as Teja watches in all concentration his actors enact. Incidentally, it is the 25th production for the film’s presenter Mahendra. [b] "I like Teja’s style of filmmaking. We were to work earlier, but somehow things got delayed and finally here we are," [/b]smiles the man who is known more for his low budget hits.

[b]"Generally, I finish my films in 21 days. They are of different nature in content and production values. It all depends upon the subject. The story we have chosen now needs a bigger canvas. In the first schedule we shot for 30 days and this schedule will have 60 days of shoot. Then we shift to Hyderabad to film the remaining portion. The budget is worth spending. Teja prefers natural locations to foreign locales," he said. [/b]

The love story set in a rural setting, according to him is in the typical Teja style with his brand of love, romance, music and action. [b]"The film will work wonders for Kalyan Ram’s career. He and the heroine live in the same village. But there is a problem between the two families that they don’t see eye to eye. Kalyan Ram being a friendly guy with everyone in the village decides to unite the two families and also bring peace between the two warring families. How he achieves this is what the film is about," [/b] Mahendra smiles.

Two unique combinations add strength to the project. [b] "After four or five films gap, Teja and R. P. Patnaik have joined hands to recreate their magic spell. The combo is back. The nine songs have come out very well. We will have the audio release in November. Another unique thing is that Paruchuri Brothers are writing for the first time for a Teja film, my first film with them too," [/b] says Mahendra.

Sayaji Shinde and Tulasi are cast as the heroine’s parents and Sakunthala her grandmother. Prabha plays the hero’s mother. Kannada actor Avinash is the main villain and Ajay (of Pokiri and Vikramarkudu fame) is his son. [b] "Suhasini (Chantigaadu fame) as the heroine’s friend appears in a key role and Subhashini acts as her mother," [/b] informs Mahendra.
The shoot is continuing almost without break. The veteran is right. The wind is balmy and cool. [b] "I am confident of the film’s success," says Mahendra. "It will bring in a whiff of fresh air (to our cinema) and may become a trendsetter." [/b]

Lakshmi Kalyanam is slated for a release during Sankranti.
Courtesy: M.L.Narasimham (The Hindu)