It was around the end of the pandemic when Amrutha Anjan became a daily dose of laughter through short films that travelled fast across phones and households, earning its team the tag of “Covid stars”. Bringing the same title to theatres now may look like a natural extension. But for director JRM (Jyothirao Mohit), it is also deeply personal. “When my first film Soda Buddi did not meet the expectations of the audience, I was thinking of doing better with my second, but nobody gave me that second opportunity. So I started with short films, Amrutha Anjan, and I settled financially. But I always wanted to prove myself to the world by doing something big. When the short films became popular, I wanted to extend it as a cinema, and now, Amrutha Anjan is coming on screen.”
The film, slated for release in theatres on January 30, is produced by Lasya Vijay Entertainers. What began as mobile-screen comedy has now grown into a full-length family entertainer, carrying with it both expectation and emotional weight. The film brings back the familiar faces from the shorts, including Sudhakar Gowda R, Gowrav Shetty, Karthik Ruvary Reddy, Payal Chengappa, Shree Bhavya and Pallavi Parva. While the intent to make the audience laugh remains unchanged, the experience has definitely evolved. "The idea is simple and honest: make people laugh the way they did on their phones, and make sure they feel their theatre ticket was worth it. Even if the film is not extraordinary, the promise is laughter, along with an underlying message," explains JRM.
Despite the massive reach of Amrutha Anjan on YouTube with over 23 million subscribers, JRM still refers to himself as a failed director, but not out of self-pity. “I am close to Rangayana Raghu. When I was convincing him, all he said was whether I could convince the audience. As a director, you should convince the audience, and that is something I should do.” The lesson is clear: popularity does not replace responsibility.
With Amrutha Anjan being such a well-known brand through short films, did that popularity create overconfidence about cinema? Karthik puts it honestly. “The confidence was only that the same director behind the popular Amrutha Anjan is directing a feature film. We were sure it is going to be a hit.” That trust in the director became the backbone of the transition from short-format content to feature-length cinema.
For Payal Chengappa, who became the face of Amrutha Anjan and gained strong recognition through short films before getting bigger opportunities, the journey remains emotional. “I should first thank the director for considering me, especially since I don't have any acting training or background. They did auditions, and honestly, the role chose me. Every actor wants to be seen on screen in their best version, but initially, I was darkened a few shades, and there is a scene where my face will not be detected by the phone because of my character's skin colour. Honestly, it looked awkward. But if I were hesitant at that time, I would not have landed this role, and I would not have gone viral. Every short has crossed a million views, and people recognised me through different characters. As a heroine, I always loved the next-door character, and that perspective changed everything. Being glamorous does not make a heroine. It is hard work, and people will love you for the sincerity.”
Gowrav Shetty believes the success of the show is also because of how carefully each role was designed. Every actor was made to carry weight within the story, with one clear aim: entertain families, youth and every category of audience. “Doing short films is one thing, but the dream of every actor is to be seen on the big screen. That is where we reach the larger audience. When we started the shorts, we were completely new, we were blank and knew nothing. Today, we have explored more in this field. There is excitement and fear of watching ourselves in cinema.”
Bhavya, who had not worked earlier with JRM in the shorts but had followed his work, recalls the surprise of being chosen. “I was initially scared of the director. I wanted to approach him for work, but having him choose me made the process all the more exciting. He has clarity in his vision.”
The short films were made by pooling in small donations, but it raises questions if such a model can survive in cinema. The memory of how the producer entered the project remains vivid. JRM recalls, “It was Sudhakar who took me to the producer. I gave him a budget, and the producer gave a certain investment without expectations. We do not make films to fail at the box office, and it is only when we prepare for failure that we can see success. This is a lesson learned from failures.”
While the name remains the same, the film is not a stretched version of the shorts. And this evolution started with the performance of the actors themselves. “Earlier, they would have a lot of retakes. Now, they have expertise in their own way and they are top-class. Even if the story has some mistakes, every actor’s job will be appreciated.” Gowrav adds, "The director gave us two months of training free of cost, gave us fame through short films, and is bringing us to the silver screen.”
For Karthik, the journey feels like an experiment that turned real. “I still don’t know how the director thought I could be a hero, but there was encouragement from all ends.” Turning a short-film idea into a two-and-a-half-hour film was never about losing the emotional core. The story revolves around parental sacrifice and is peppered with commercial elements. "Family values remain central, drawn from personal experience. The understanding of sacrifice becomes deeper only when one becomes a parent, and that emotional layer flows naturally into the storytelling," says Karthik.
Laughter, however, remains the main promise. The actors swear by the workshops that played a major role in shaping the comedy. While Payal points out how the director imagined even the smallest mannerisms, even in the writing stage, Bhavya adds that he would perform scenes himself to guide the actors if something felt off. JRM reflects on how the format of shooting without background music trained them to create humour purely through performance, a discipline that now helps on the big screen.
For a director moving from short films to cinema, the belief is simple. What connects with people is observing real life around us and giving the audience a relatable mass idea. “In general, when you become a director, you should first have clarity in writing. I have made many mistakes, but making mistakes helped me become a better writer, and eventually helped me direct my vision.”
The final difference between Amrutha Anjan, the short films and Amrutha Anjan, the movie is not format, but emotion. “When we did short films, there were no expectations. Today, as a film, there is excitement, and there is fear too, but we are confident. The same characters, the same humour, but now we are carrying the weight of a full-length dream that took years of setbacks, faith and learning to finally reach the big screen."