8 October 2009
Hyderabad

Read what producer Gangaraju Gunnam has to say about it and his forthcoming film Katha.

What is a good story? Something that would make you risk all you have and don’t have, to see it on the screen. You don’t come across such stories everyday, unless you naively believe what the 24 hr news channels say. Aithe was released in April, 2003. Since then I’ve been listening to stories narrated by eager young people looking for a break as a director.

Most of them told me Aithe again, changing a few punctuation marks. Some told me weird stories, thinking I must be wacko anyway to have produced Aithe and so would welcome the irrational and inscrutable. Many approached me under the impression that I would green-light any project that was allegedly different. Thus I ended up listening to many non-story stories.

In all these six years not one story interested me in the least. Of course in between I loved and produced Chandu’s concept, Anukokunda Oka Roju. And also made a film of my decade -old script, Amma Cheppindi.

Then one day last August, Urmila asked me to listen to a narration. A be-spectacled man came in and narrated in earnest for 2 hours. I was hooked. It was gripping all the way and the scenes were visually powerful. I wanted to make the film right away, but the casting took an agonising six months. In the meantime the story had to be polished and the dialogue written. Finally we rolled in the third week of April. And on the 29th of October, you will see the story I had heard.

Katha links:
Press meet
Photo gallery