1/5/2024 0 Comments Nag ashwin ageIt is also for this reason that Nag Ashwin has chosen not to have Jamuna in the film. I also had to think about what would suit the celluloid,” he said. So, we knew that it would be impossible to add everything and I did have to make directorial choices. Schedules for films were put on hold until filmmakers would get her call sheet. She was a star for whom the male leads waited. So how did he decide on what was necessary to tell her story and what wasn’t? “Savitri has worked in 300 films. She was a star ahead of her time,” Ashwin said. Everyone knew of her financial trouble and her alcohol problem as well, so there is no question about courting controversy with this film. Even when she married to a man who was already married, people knew. How authentic would the cinematic portrayal be? “Savitri garu’s life was an open book. The film documents the rise and fall of Savitri. Gemini Ganesan was at that time working mainly in Tamil film industry. When it came to casting Dulquer Salmaan to play Gemini Ganesan, Ashwin felt that he needed someone who was not from Telugu film industry to add authenticity to the role. One should also take note that for a female actor, a film has about 40 changes, but in Mahanati, Keerthy had to go through 110 changes.” We kept all of this in mind when the looks were decided. She used sun glasses of a particular style and she would apply makeup even for appearances. “Savitri garu had a certain way of doing her makeup, especially her eyebrows. The team, Ashwin said, tried to be as honest as possible. Each look’s reference was taken from Savitri’s appearances and film. When it comes to the looks, Ashwin explained that Keerthy Suresh had 110 changes in the film. She evolved with the character and we could see it,” Ashwin said. From when we began shooting for the film to when we were on the final schedule, there was a transformation. Keerthy was also in touch with Savitri’s daughter. Did Ashwin help Keerthy nail the traits of Savitri? How did the actor prepare for the role? “We pointed out some of the obvious traits. The team also researched extensively for this project. There was a spark and something genuine about her.” Speaking about casting, Ashwin explained that he chose Keerthy Suresh to play the role of Savitri after watching a few trailers of her films. This is also probably the biggest multi-starrer in recent times,” he said. Vijay Deverakonda has Arjun Reddy and Shalini Pandey who plays a small role also has a hit film, but they came together sportingly to work for the film. “Every actor who is a part of this film has a slew of hits. “We wanted to do something that Savitri garu would be proud of,” he said.Īshwin also added that the cast and crew came together for the love of Savitri and it helped them collaborate and work together with singlemindedness. They realised that this might be the only piece of cinema about the life of one of the greatest actors and that was a big responsibility. Once Ashwin and producers Swapna and Priyanka Dutt decided to work on the film, they also realised that they have to do justice to Savitri’s life. When I heard the interview, I felt that this story was worth telling.” “I wanted to work on a film that was more relevant than my debut film, which was about existential crisis. Ashwin happened to hear the six-hour radio interview of Savitri by Kiran Prabha, which was released in three parts and that’s how the director got the idea of adapting her life story on the silver screen. This is Nag Ashwin’s second film after Yevvade Subramanyan, which was a coming-of-age drama starring Nani, Vijay Devarakonda and Ritu Varma. He also revealed that the film will not have any actor portraying the role of Jamuna, who was Savitri’s closest friend and peer. In an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times, director Nag Ashwin spoke about bringing the star’s life alive on silver screen and the kind of preparation that they needed to make this biopic a reality. Mahanati, the biopic of Telugu actor Savitri who ruled the south Indian film industry for three decades is slated to release on May 9.
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