The film is about a daydreamer who goes overboard in the process of realising his dreams. As a result, his family faces the consequences.
'Peka Medalu' marks the directorial debut of Neelagiri Mamilla in Tollywood. (Supplied)
Guntur-born Neelagiri Mamilla has been a child artiste and is interested in writing, acting, dancing, and other extracurricular activities, too.
During his ninth standard, he got an opportunity to play a role in KS Prakash’s (veteran director Raghavendra Rao’s son) film. He underwent an acting course at that young age and began looking for a career in the film industry.
“I learnt to dance and became a choreographer for financial reasons. But after a while, I focused on the direction. I became a ghostwriter for a few projects and became an associate writer and worked for the hit web series Gods Of Dharmapuri (2019),” Neelagiri recalled, in an interview with South First.
He wrote a story during the Covid-19 lockdowns and approached producer Rakesh Varre who gave him a thumbs-up. “Peka Medalu (House of Cards) is a plot I worked on many years ago and thought that this is an appropriate time to execute it. The story revolves around middle-class families.”
The debutant filmmaker added, “The audience’s response to honest storytelling has always been successful. Fortunately, producer Rakesh liked the plot instantly and the project went on floors promptly.”
Director Neelagiri Mamilla on the sets of ‘Peka Medalu’. (Supplied)
Neelagiri Mamilla says he likes director Raj Kumar Hirani’s films. “Most importantly, I’m enchanted by the way he narrates a story with a generous dose of entertainment and simultaneously drives home a strong message.”
When asked about the plot of his debut movie Peka Medalu, the director replied, “The main character is a daydreamer. He goes overboard in the process of realising his dream. As a result, the rest of the family members face serious ramifications.”
He remarked, “There’s nothing wrong to dream about owning a beautiful house. But the middle-class and lower middle-class families will collapse if a person builds castles in the air and aims for easy money.”
Peka Medalu mostly features newcomers. Anoosha Krishna (a student of NSD) and Vinod Kishan (a Tamil actor) are the lead actors. Interestingly, they were selected through auditions over phone calls.
The story is relevant to this generation. It is realistic, relatable, and is told in an entertaining way, instead of passing on a message.
Anoosha Krishna in ‘Peka Medalu’. (vinoth_kishan/ Twitter)
So, what’s the conflict point in the flick? Neelagiri Mamilla quipped, “The conflict point here is basically an ideology. For example, it is like giving away a daughter to a supposedly good person only to realise that everything is a farce. All the lies have been told only to seal the alliance.”
The director says the team had a great time shooting the film. “The shoot went on for 45 days. A portion of it has been picturised in Jumme Bazaar in the Old City (Hyderabad). No effort has been made to highlight either the hero or heroine and the travails of every character have been given equal importance.”
However, while watching the movie, one might feel that the script is slightly biased towards women in middle-class and lower-middle-class families. “Well, the audience has always approved of the sincerity shown in the execution. They will know why,” Neelagiri signed off.
Hari Chara, an alumnus of Annapurna Film School, is the cinematographer. The music is by Smaran Sai who composed the background score for RX 100 (2018).
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