Tollywood producer daughters step out of the shadows, and script their own success stories. Sushmita Konidela, Swapna-Priyanka Dutt and Supriya Yarlagadda are few such trendsetters among the younger crop of filmmakers
In Telugu cinema, daughters of illustrious producers are proudly taking their fathers’ legacies forward. Prominent among these spirited women producers are Sushmita Konidela, eldest daughter of megastar Chiranjeevi, producer Dil Raju’s daughter Hanshita Reddy, Swapna and Priyanka Dutt, daughters of veteran producer C Ashwini Dutt, founder of Vyjayanthi Movies and Supriya Yarlagadda, better known as actor Nagarjuna’s niece but her dad Surendra was a filmmaker too.
Starting from scratch
Priyanka Dutt studied filmmaking at the University of California, Los Angeles. She made her debut as a filmmaker at the age of 20, co-producing the film Balu with her sister Swapna in 2004. Priyanka says, “Starting anything from scratch is a challenge and taking an established business forward, maintaining a reputation, even more so. Particularly during the initial few years, when my sister and I were selecting scripts, it was a definitely a task.”
Admitting that both Swapna and she were confused at first about what kind of movies they audiences liked, she said they had to “figure out a balance between the two.”
Recollecting that they had a bunch of flops at first, she said, “Then came Yevade Subramanyam. It was something Swapna and I did together. It was a box office hit. After that, we became a lot more responsible.” “People started trusting me and Swapna. Our next film, Mahaniti, gave him full confidence in us,” says Priyanka.
Same fight for both genders
About being women in a man’s profession, Priyanka feels the gender bias is all in the mind. “For me and Swapna, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman — at the end of the day, you have to tell a story, you have a movie to sell, you have to get that actor, that distributor or network or OTT… It’s the same for the male and female producer.”
Giving back to foundation
Veteran producer Surendra Yarlagadda’s daughter Supriya has just turned independent producer with Dacoit featuring Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur. Says Supriya, “My father retired from filmmaking a long time ago. My brother Sumanth, who is also an actor. I have enjoyed the legacy of so many people’s hard work. It always been a key focus of my work. I needed a banner to produce Dacoit. SS creations offered it to me. I see a glint of pride in my dad’s eyes now.”
Actor Nagarjuna, who is Supriya’s uncle says he is proud of all the producers’ daughters who have chosen to carry the family legacy forward. “I am very proud of Supriya. I don’t have a daughter and she is like one to me. To see her branching out on her own as a producer fills me with pride. Not only Supriya, even Sushmita (Chiranjeevi’s daughter) and Swapna and Priyanka have so successfully taken forward their fathers’ legacies. Now I hear Dil Raju’s daughter is also turning producer.”
Amazing trend
Telugu filmmaker Nandini Reddy says, “I think it’s an amazing trend. Having worked with some of them and personally knowing the others, I can confidently say they are some of the most efficient people I know. They multitask beautifully, have great aesthetics and handle production with great confidence. In a very short period they have all established themselves as leaders in the field.”
