HYDERABAD: Tharun Bhascker’s refreshing Telugu rom-com, Pelli Choopulu, is currently the toast of the town. With it’s subtle humour, beautiful music and talented star cast, everybody is talking about this film. While people are still getting to know more about this starless crew, have you wondered who brought this whole thing together?
The story of producer Yash Rangineni is a ‘rags-to-riches’ one. At the young age of 22, he left for London with 500 pounds in his pocket, with no place to stay. Twenty five years later, he’s now returned and made his mark as a producer in Tollywood.
“I belong to a family of zamindars from Rakonda village in Mahbubnagar district. While my family owned a lot of land, we were never cash-rich. We came from a humble background and people in our own family would look down upon us because we weren’t as wealthy as them. That stoked a fire in me, and I’ve always wanted to do something different from the rest. So I decided to go abroad to do my MBA,” shares Yash.
From a young age, Yash was passionate about films and he says his family played a huge role in it.
“My passion for films comes from my father and grandfather. They would take me to watch plays in our village, which would go on till late in the night. I was always fascinated by it and wanted to do something about it,” he shares.
Having reached London with hardly any money and no place to stay, Yash struggled to make ends meet, doing odd jobs simultaneously while pursuing his MBA.
“I used to work in a bakery and a restaurant, apart from my usual course work. I needed the money since my parents couldn’t provide me with financial support,” Yash recalls.
After completing his MBA, he managed to get a good job and worked in an electronics company for 15 years. Yash is currently a director at National Health Services in London. Having become successful after years of struggle, he finally decided to pursue his childhood dream.
“My passion for movies kept continuing. I always wanted to encourage some young talent. And that’s how this project came about. Raj Kandukuri (co-producer of Pelli Choopulu) is a good friend of mine. He has been into movies for the last 10 years. He used to tell me a few stories and because I always was interested in movies, I would listen intently,” Shares the 47-year-old.
“So when I heard Pelli Choopulu for the first time from Tharun, I was inspired by it. I fell in love with the script and soon things starting falling in place,” he adds.
Made with a budget of under Rs. 2 crore, the film has struck gold at the box-office, having already raked in `3 crore in its opening week – in AP and Telangana alone. Elated with the response the film has received across the globe, Yash remains grounded.
“My aim of coming into this industry is not to make money. It’s purely a passion to encourage new talent and bring in some new blood with creative minds. I feel that these youngsters deserve a chance. Because I myself had experienced lot of struggle when I was young and I’m now in a position where I can take that risk. There’s a lot of risk involved in making a small-budget movie and make sure it reaches,” the producer expresses passionately.
Yash already has another project in the pipeline and will make an announcement shortly. “My combination with Raj (Kandukuri) has worked really well. Some people are already calling us YashRaj (laughs). One thing is for sure, my next film will also be an attempt to promote young talent in the industry,” he signs off.