Anurag Reddy and Sharath Chandra of Chai Bisket Films have produced 'Mem Famous' with Lahari Films' Chandru Manoharan. Sumanth Prabhas (also the film's director), Mani Aegurla, and Mourya Chowdary have worked with budding actresses Saarya and Siri Raasi. The film will hit the cinemas on May 26.
In this interview, they talk about the film, composer Kalyan Nayak's songs, and more. The film has seen Shyam Dupati (cinematographer), Srujana Adusumilli (editor), and Arvind Muli (art) working in different departments.
Geetha Arts is releasing the film in the Telugu States, while Sarigama Cinemas is doing it overseas. In Vizag, Annapurna Studios is the distributor. "We recently screened the movie to Geetha Arts and a few other distributors. They are totally happy with the content," the makers said.
We (Chai Bisket Films and Lahari Films) have decided to collaborate on three projects. 'Writer Padmabhushan' was our first outing. 'Mem Famous' is our second film together. We came together during the pandemic. Chai Bisket and Lahari Films have a trust-based working relationship. We don't go by agreements and contractual obligations. We mutually trust each other and that's what gets us going! The third project is getting ready for a release this year.
At A+S Movies, the Chai Bisket stable has already produced Adivi Sesh's 'Major'. Big-scale movies will be produced on that banner. In a month or two, we will be announcing a big-star movie under A+S Movies.
We will produce movies on Chai Bisket Films mostly with newcomers. We have the target of bringing out films that will make everyone sit up and notice. That way, able newcomers will see our banner as a suitable platform through which to launch themselves. We believe in making new attempts. When you work with newcomers, the vibe is wholly new. Whatever energy you see on set gets translated onto the celluloid.
We are democratic in our attitude. We have no ego clashes. Whoever gives the most sensible idea, he will be listened to. Chandru takes care of the planning aspect of our projects.
Sumanth Prabhas was chosen after we watched a series of his on YouTube. We reached out to him and offered to produce a series or some other content with him. He then told us he wants to do a feature film. He was supposed to only direct the film. After we failed to zero in on a male lead, he offered to headline the film. Although we were reluctant initially, our confidence in him grew and we went ahead.
'Mem Famous' has been made mostly with new talents. In all, 45-50 artists and technicians are being introduced. This is a proper youthful entertainer in a long time. A 23-year-old is playing a 23-year-old. Besides casting, the humour is authentic. The casting process took time.
More than the story, the treatment is more important. If the treatment is poor, even an interesting story can suck. You will find unpolluted narration in 'Mem Famous'. Sumanth Prabhas, the writer-director, comes with no experience. As such, his vision is uncorrupted.
The film tells the story of three good-for-nothing young men. How their journey is narrated is what makes it a cut above the rest. 'Mem Famous' is a mix of 'Pelli Choopulu' and 'Jathi Ratnalu' in terms of blending the former's sensibilities with the latter's wacky humour. The story has nothing to do with those two films, though.
When youngsters watch this movie, they will relate to it. If elders watch the movie, they will get a grip on how their children think and why they think what they think!
Kalyan Nayak's music and BGM are amazing. It was with AR Rahman's 'Roja' that Lahari Music made a debut. Today, Lahari Films is producing 'Mem Famous'.
The promotions of 'Mem Famous' have been unique. Those videos featuring celebs (like Vijay Deverakonda, Naga Chaitanya, Adivi Sesh, Harish Shankar and others) have reached a wide section of the audience. We stumbled across the idea randomly. At First Show, we worked with a number of brands. We did branding for a number of business establishments in Hyderabad before venturing into cinema branding. Marketing runs in our blood.
