For Priya Sudeep, cinema was never a distant world. In a household where acting, direction, production and creative conversations naturally coexist, films were always part of everyday life. Yet, despite belonging to a family where cinema felt second nature, production was not something she rushed toward. “In the beginning, it didn’t interest me at all. I was happy with Sudeep being in films. That was enough for me.” Back then, playing the role of a mother was important. Now my daughter, Sanvi, is on her own, and I suddenly have more time. Cinema felt like the natural next step because it is our home and culture, and something that has always existed around us. But I wanted to do this only when I had enough time and when I could give my best. I didn’t want the weight of my dreams to fall on anybody else because it is my dream. The baggage should not affect anybody else. So, both the good and bad are mine to bear.” That conviction now takes shape through Mango Pachcha, which launches Sanchith, Sueep's nephew, and brings together producers Priya Sudeep, Karthik Gowda and Yogi G Raj as they gear up for the film's release on June 5.
For Priya, the collaboration felt less like strategy and more like shared instinct. “Both Sanchith's and my journey begins from here, as producer and actor respectively, and I was lucky to receive this script from Karthik and Yogi and decided to collaborate. I look up to both of them. Of course, I have Sudeep around, but I admire the way Karthik and Yogi approach films and how they think about presenting cinema. Our wavelengths matched, and that became a little cushioning if I needed to fall back. I feel like I stepped in at the right time.” Karthik Gowda traces Mango Pachcha’s roots to conversations that began years ago. “In 2020, Dhananjaya introduced us to Viveka. COVID held the project back, but the conversations never stopped. By 2022, the film came back into focus, and we always knew we should make it.” The screenplay had already found backers. “Viveka was looking for the right producers for his film,” Priya says. “It was a beautiful journey of the script itself.” According to Priya, what convinced them was the world Viveka had built. “It was the script, screenplay and characterisation, and how rooted it was to Mysuru, something close to what we have heard and known. It did not matter that he was a newcomer.
The narration clicked. He has a sincerely deep-rooted passion. He knows Kannada cinema history and culture and has that fire in the belly. That really touched me.” Yogi G Raj echoes that faith. “Every newcomer should be given that opportunity. We put our trust in Viveka because of the confidence he had in his script.”
Though the film hints at local power structures and social realities, and surrounds the Green mafia, the makers resist easy categorisation. “It is a backdrop and how it impacts lives,” Priya says. "At the centre are interpersonal relationships,” Yogi adds. “There are commercial and family elements as well," says Karthik. The casting followed a similarly organic path. Viveka believed Mango Pachcha needed a fresh face, and it was Dhananjaya who suggested Sanchith. “That’s how the film came together,” Karthik recalls. For Priya, however, Sanchith’s arrival is not a sudden launch but the culmination of years of preparation. “This has been a 12-year journey. He began with photography and cinematography, learnt direction and worked as an assistant director. He has spent years understanding filmmaking. I feel this is the right way to enter the film industry. One has to learn the varied aspects of filmmaking before coming in front of the camera. That becomes an added advantage as an actor.”
Even then, she did not anticipate what she would witness on set. “He did script reading and workshops. But, when I visited the set and saw him in makeup, I didn’t see Sanchith anymore, I saw Pachcha. When I spoke to him, he sounded very confident. We didn’t want to put our thoughts into him. I wanted him to cultivate his own understanding. The freedom belonged to him and Viveka. His dialogue delivery and body language signalled a complete transformation.” Karthik observed another side to Sanchith. “Coming from a family with a star like Sudeep, he could have carried that air. But Sanchith became a friend to us. There was no sense of entitlement.”
The expectations surrounding a well-known surname, Priya says, are something the family has consciously tried to soften. “We have always told them to never let the surname precede your dreams or aspirations. Be who you are. People may talk, but don’t let that get inside you. There is no timeframe and no comparison. We want them to grow on their own.” If pressure exists, she admits, it is one she places on herself. “When people think of Sudeep, they associate him with perfection and commitment. That creates pressure for me as a producer because I don’t want to disappoint him or his fans. I want to see that little twinkle in his eyes and feel we have achieved something that makes him proud.”
All three producers agree that Sudeep’s presence has remained close to the film. “He has fine-tuned things,” Priya says. “Viveka has done a brilliant job and that is why he is directing the film,” Karthik adds. “But yes, Mango Pachcha also has Sudeep’s touch.” For Yogi, Priya’s transition into a producer has been equally fascinating. “She was curious to learn everything about cinema. That made things easy because she was approachable. She questioned things if she needed clarity.
Priya has patience, and she has learnt a lot about cinema. There is still a lot ahead of her.” Priya believes collaboration itself benefits from varied perspectives. “In creative work, the energies of men and women harmonise differently. Though cinema is still male-dominated, I want young women to step in with confidence because we can add value. We are physically capable. Sometimes the hurdles are only in the mind. Hopefully, in the future, I can create a safer environment.
If there is one strength I bring to the table, it is patience and clarity in communication. Everybody should be on the same page and maintain good rapport. That solves a lot of things.” And before signing off, she leaves behind one final tease. “Sudeep is in the film. But I'll keep the details a surprise for now.”
