Despite successes and failures, this year has been healthy for Telugu cinema due to a consistent influx of new filmmakers. Producer Shree Tej SK will test his luck this Friday as a debut director with Mayookha. The thriller stars Payal Chengappa in the lead role. Shree Tej, who previously produced a few films under his Cinema Bandi Productions banner as Srikanth Kandregula, has now changed his name to Shree Tej SK and directed the film. Sasidhar Nalla is producing Mayookha under his banner, Prashvitha Entertainment.
“I made my first short film almost twenty years ago. Later, I moved to the USA, where I completed a directing course at the New York Film Academy. Direction has always been my priority, but to gain experience in filmmaking, I also developed an understanding of production,” begins Shree Tej, as he reveals that Mayookha was originally a short film later developed into a feature. “The last short film I made was titled Mayookha. I left for the US with the film remaining incomplete. Later, when I continued my professional career, I narrated this story to the producer, and he liked it and decided to produce it.”
He explains the title, adding that it carries a deeper meaning that could be understood while watching the film. “Mayookha means a ray of hope. You will understand why I chose the title Mayookha once you watch the film,” he adds, as he emphasises the presentation’s importance as much as the good story. “No matter how good a story we write, it needs to be presented beautifully through visuals and sound to create an engaging cinematic experience. We took great care with both the visual and sound aspects of this film and worked hard to deliver a quality product. Shibi Mathew Alex has composed excellent music for the film.”
Mayookha is already making the right noise and generating positive buzz at film festivals. “Mayookha recently won the Best Mystery Movie award at the New York Film Festival and also received the Second Best award in the Thriller category,” he says, adding that he never expected the film to receive this much recognition. “We have also applied for the Cannes Film Festival,” he says.
The director reveals that Korean and Hollywood films influenced his approach to storytelling and colour grading. “Today, audiences are consuming a lot of international thriller web series and films on OTT platforms. Creating content that appeals to their tastes is necessary. We have to attempt something fresh and deliver it with quality. That is exactly what we tried to do with Mayookha,” says Shree Tej.
He initially wanted to cast Maheshwari, known for her role in Gulabi, as the female lead. “We narrated two stories to her, and she liked both, but she chose the other film. Then we roped in Kannada actor Payal, who has done some entertaining films in Kannada. We felt she would be a perfect fit for this character in our story. She has already reached Telugu audiences through her web series,” he quips, expressing hopes that Payal Chengappa receives recognition for her fabulous work in the film.
Shree Tej, circling back to his earlier point about presentation, says Mayookha stands apart from films of this genre because of this factor. “These kinds of films have been made earlier in Telugu, but this one is fresh. What makes our film different is the screenplay and the way the story has been presented on screen. The presentation is fresh and engaging. In fact, the recognition we received at the New York Film Festival for Best Thriller gave us confidence that our attempt had worked.”
Clarifying the film’s genre, Shree Tej said Mayookha is not a horror film. “It is a thriller. Why does an unknown person enter the heroine’s flat? What does he do? What is his relationship with the heroine? These questions drive the story and keep the audience engaged throughout. The film has a runtime of approximately two hours and ten minutes,” he says.
Before signing off, Shree Tej lists out the filmmakers he deeply admires and reveals deets about his next. “I admire filmmakers such as Upendra, Ram Gopal Varma and Puri Jagannadh. My next directorial will be an emotional science-fiction film. It will be a clean U-certified movie,” he concludes.
