Nitin-Bharath: We can never predict what audience will think of a film

The director duo will make their feature film debut with the upcoming comedy Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi
Nitin-Bharath; Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi poster
Nitin-Bharath; Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi poster
Published on

It’s been a long journey for director duo Nitin-Bharath from TV to big screen. The duo, which has directed several popular TV shows over the last 10 years, is now making their feature film debut with Pradeep Machiraju starrer Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi. The comedy entertainer, also starring Deepika Pilli, Vennela Kishore, Getup Srinu and Satya, will hit theatres on April 11. Ahead of the film’s release, the director duo spoke about their journey at a press meet, reflecting on their strengths as directors, and more.

Nitin-Bharath are accustomed to day-long rehearsals, and shooting 3 hours of content in a single schedule. The process of making a feature film, where they could take much longer to shoot a scene but also deal with a chaotic shooting pattern, has been challenging for them, the duo says, adding, “In non-fiction, the judgment has to be immediate. The corrections too have to be made on the spot. There, your work is in a certain order. In movies, you begin a schedule with one scene and end with another. Since we are used to rehearsals, that helped a lot.” Nitin-Bharath also credit their technical crew throughout the making. “We learnt a lot from them in the process. There are so many assistants in the crew, and it has always been team work for us, where we always take creative inputs, align and write a scene. We have always believed if the two of us are not aligned, how can we convince the auditorium?,” they say. 

Talking about the brand of humour in their film debut, Bharath states, “It’s Jabardasth type of humour, but in a fictional format. If you think of it, every skit is a short story. In AAIA, it just takes the form of a full length story, where the comedy is more situational than punch-based. Also, story is the backbone of our film — Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi, honestly is more of a rom-com, and focuses on hero’s journey.”

While the film’s title promises equal prominence to both male and female leads, the female characters are conspicuously inactive in the film’s trailer. Nitin-Bharath clarify that the under-representation is intentional, adding, “There is a reason why female characters aren’t shown there — it’s part of the main plot, which we can’t reveal now. That mystery unravels in first 10 minutes itself, but it's also the core of our story.” The duo also mentions that while they were particular about casting a native Telugu actress for the heroine’s role, adding Deepika’s audition won them over. “It’s a proper rural character, and Deepika nailed the audition and the diction,” Bharat recalls. 

Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi will be theatrically distributed by Mythri Movie Makers. Nitin-Bharath acknowledge the banner for pushing them for a more lucrative release date. They recall, “Initially, we were planning for a February release. However, Mythri team suggested that we must go for a summer release, aiming at family audience where the kids too are free to come to theatres post the exam season.”

Nitin-Bharath share a special bonding with Pradeep Machiraju who is also the film’s co-producer, besides playing the protagonist. The duo recalls shooting a promotional song for Pradeep’s debut film, which instiled a spark in them towards filmmaking, post which they pitched the story idea to the actor. While Pradeep is a very popular face on television, he is yet to experience commercial success when it comes to movies. Nitin-Bharath, however, express complete faith in Pradeep’s popularity. “We can’t call him a junior. He had a major health crisis, which led to a 4-year gap. Pradeep’s journey has just begun,” they say. 

Talking about their future plans, Nitin-Bharath mention that while they are simultaneously working for television and OTT, there are no immediate plans for another movie. “After this film releases, we will also get clarity. We can never predict what audience thinks,” the duo concludes.

Related Stories

No stories found.
-->
Cinema Express
www.cinemaexpress.com