Filmmaker Lakshmi Soujanya on her debut love flick

After a long stint as an assistant director the steadfast individual is all excited about her upcoming film 'Varudu Kavalenu'

Hyderabad: Only a few love tales are born out of real-life experiments. For debutante Lakshmi Soujanya, her first film ‘Varudu Kavalenu’ has come after a very long gap. The story of two characters Akash and Bhumi, played by actors Naga Shaurya and Ritu Varma respectively, grew up in diametrically opposite environments. “Akash, played by Shaurya, is an architect. Very creative and energetic man, Akash designs his life the way he wants. Bhumi, played by Ritu Varma, is a very self-reliant girl. She is someone who sets an example by making eco-friendly products. And how these two contrast personalities come together, is the story,” the female director says.

The Kurnool-born filmmaker has some credits to her name when she first appeared in Class 10 public exams at the age of 11. Her father, a Mathematics teacher, wanted to marry Lakshmi off to someone in an extended family working in the US, but she chose to be different and opted for a career in filmmaking. “So my journey into films first started with director Teja, I worked as an assistant director under him. Immediately, I got a call from Sekhar Kammula garu, and then Krishna Vamsi, and then under Manjula Ghattamaneni, later worked for Walt Disney, and a brief stint with Prakash Kovelamudi and finally before making my debut, I happened to direct a few commercials,” she says adding that she first narrated the story to Naga Chaitanya but couldn’t move forward because the actor was already busy with a project.

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“Having worked under senior directors, I never lost my identity in the process, but I’ve gathered a few traits of these directors while they deal with cinema. To the core, I have always remained a strong, gritty and steadfast individual,” she adds.

Lakshmi Soujanya says she never felt gender differentiation in the film industry all these years. “It’s the work that shows up in the end. Because I am a woman, I don’t think there is a reservation and special treatment for lady directors in cinema.”

Extracting the desired output, Lakshmi wouldn’t go soft at her cast and crew. “Sometimes, you should be commanding and as a director one should be little chiding on the sets to get the work done. Only if you’re unsync with a technician or an actor, it leads to friction. It’s more or less, a jovial and fun atmosphere between everyone on the sets. ‘Varudu Kavalanu’ is going to be a fun-filled experience for audiences,” she concludes.

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