Popular anchor and now actor, Suma Kanakala, launched the book Jayamma Panchayati — a compilation of experiences of the cast and crew of the film with the same name. Written by Sai Bharat, the book is the first such project ever in all of India to have ever been written about the making of a film.
“Not everybody knows about all that goes behind the scenes to ensure a good film is put together, this is why such a story needs to be told. The film started off as a beautiful experiment to bring to the surface the talent hidden in Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. The story of the making, I felt needs mention,” says Sai, a film enthusiast, who co-founded Scratch Book Publication that tells unique stories.
Sai is currently pursuing a career as an assistant director in the Telugu film industry and has been a part of many anthologies as a co-author and compiled a handful of books too. “In this book, I weaved together the very many emotions of the cast and crew to present them before the readers. I hope that this book inspires many, especially the new generation of filmmakers to fight all off to realise their dreams,” he shares.
The speciality of the movie Jayamma Panchayati, Sai says, is that through this film, at least 70+ new artists have been introduced for the first time on the silver screen. “Of them, more than 10-15 were recognised by the audience as potential performers. Some major characters will be celebrated by the industry for their future journey in the films.
Directed by Vijay Kumar Kalivarapu, Jayamma Panchayati has Suma Kanakala and Shalini Kondepudi play lead roles. The film tells the story of a strong middle-aged woman and a problem that strikes her out of nowhere. Jayamma suddenly needs 4 lakh rupees for her husband’s surgery and requests the return of the money she gifted people in the past decade. Villagers find it strange to return gifted money but Jayamma decides to get her money back by hook or crook. Apart from Jayamma, the film tells the stories of others in the village who struggle to cope with their own problems. Unfortunately, Jayamma’s problem will be solved if and only if others’ problems are solved.
Chitteti Harshavardhan, co-founder of Scratchbook publication says, “Every movie has its own hurdles and they remain special to the cast and crew of that film. This book Jayamma Panchayati is a chain of memories by the cast and technical crew of the film. You have seen the characters on the screen — this book helps you get into the shoes of the people who played those characters. The book has been written in the actors’ own accents and styles. Little to no changes were made about what they say and do, to ensure that you get to feel the real them. It was written that way so you can sense all of their emotions, innocence, their ideas, and especially, love for the cinema.”