Lahari Films and Chai Bisket Films’ youthful entertainer Mem Famous is up for a grand release this Friday. Written and directed by Sumanth Prabhas, the film features Sumanth Prabhas, Saarya, Mani Aegurla, Mourya Chowdary, and Siri Raasi in important roles. Anurag Reddy, Sharath, and Chandru Manoharan bankrolled the movie, which has the tunes of Kalyan Nayak. Ahead of the release, we had a brief interaction with the actor-director, and here is the transcript.
What is your inspiration?
We made a short film in college, and a film school sponsored us with cameras. They asked us to do a web series for their Youtube. We didn’t have the intention to enter the film industry. That web series is Pilla Pillagadu, and it garnered millions of views. Chai Bisket team saw it, and they called us. Chai Bisket identified the potential in us, and they asked us to work on creating interesting content. I said I would make a film, and after learning the work for a few days, I gave six hours of narration to the Chai Bisket team. They were pretty impressed, and that’s how the movie commenced.
How was your first day at the shoot?
I didn’t have any issues as I was very clear on how to shoot every scene. I had full clarity and wanted everyone involved with the movie to work confidently. I did a test shoot with my mobile in the office, and hence I know what the film will look like.
How apt is Mem Famous title for the movie?
The characters in the movie have to be in the limelight no matter what they do. They should be noticed by everyone in the village. It won’t be good if the title is Focus, and hence we named the movie Mem Famous.
Whose idea was it to have so many newbies in the movie?
When the producers asked me to prepare a script, the thought I had in my mind was to earn money that would satisfy our needs. So I imagined myself as a producer, and I thought if I could make a village film with all new faces, it wouldn’t cost much. My friend Durga helped me with the casting. Everyone gave solid performances.
Whose idea was it to have promotions with the band set?
There are many new faces in the movie. If we try to promote it even with 100 posters, it won’t work. So we discussed for 2 months how to promote Mem Famous. Finally, we did a trailer cut and sent it to the producers. At the start, there will be a dialogue involving the band set right. So it was Anurag Anna’s idea to promote Mem Famous using a band set. None did this in the industry, and it helped us immensely.
It is being heard that you are planning for a big budget film. Can you talk about it?
It depends on the result of Mem Famous. I want this movie to perform well at the box office. The 40 to 50 newbies are not actors, but they are part of the film’s crew. For them to get a boost in their career, this film needs to do well.