In 2008, when many in the state were unaware what a short film was, two engineering students from Vizag, Subash Chandra and Dheeraj Raju, made their first short film to take part in a contest at GITAM University.
Five years have passed and their production house, M.R. Productions, has grown by leaps and bounds in the art of short filmmaking and has gained popularity not only in Vizag and Hyderabad, but in many parts of the world. The duo has even received offÂers from directors Rammohan (Ashta Chamma and Golconda High School) and Nandini Reddy (Ala Modalaindi).
Apart from working on their 100th, last and very special short film, they are also gearing up to release their first feature film, the pre-production work for which is underway.
Most of their 99 short films revolve around the theme of love. Subash explains, “We tried all kinds of genres — thriller, horror, romance, hatred etc. But we found that except for romance, viewers were not much interested in other genres.”
Will their feature film also revolve around love? “Since feature films are for a larger audience, we are planning a family drama with elements of love,” Subash explains.
Not only has M.R. Productions received recognition, almost everyone associated with the production house has got offers from the industry.
Raj Tarun, who was one of their lead actors, is now debuting in Tollywood with Uyyala Jampala, opposite Avika Gor of Balika Vadu fame. The movie is being produced by Nagarjuna. Another actor, Chandini Chowdary, a YouTube sensation and has 1,27,035 “likes” on her Facebook page, has received many movie offers. Vamsi Krishna, who composed music for their films, is now working on some Tollywood projects. Even the singers and lyricists have entered the industry.
It has been a long journey; have their families been supportive? Subash says, “Our families have been of great help in every step. If it was not for them, M.R. Productions wouldn’t have reached this level.”
M.R. Productions is currently working on its 100th short film which Subash says will be their last as they have started pre-production work on their first feature film. Apart from this, they have associated with ESPN, Star Sports and BCCI to make a documentary on Sachin Tendulkar, which they plan to release on his birthday next year.
