Cool sis act!

In 1946, legendary filmmaker Shankar Singh created Mahatma Pictures, thereby making it one of the oldest production houses in Sandalwood with more than 100 movies to its credit. Now, the legacy continues with the third generation all set to make their debut.

 Looks like this family is setting a new trend  once again. In a novel attempt,  filmmaker Vijayalakshmi Singh, is directing her three daughters —Vaibhavi, Vainidhi and Vaisiri (who are making their debut as actresses) in Yaanaa. The film is set for release this week in Kannada, and next week in Malayalam with the same title. Webbed around the lifestyles of the present younger generation, the makers share that the film is a clean (no obscenity), fun-filled flick aimed at youth and the family audience. Besides the three pretty sisters, around 40 new talents including artistes and scores of technicians will also be making their cine debut with this movie.

Sharing her experience on the journey of Yaanaa, Vijayalakshmi — one of the very few women directors in the industry — says, “There was no intention of launching my daughters. But when the subject related to the lifestyles of young girls was being developed, I started closely observing my girls. It took me nearly a year before I asked them to act. Next came the bonus of this being the first movie to be directed by a mother which features three daughters in their debut venture. Most of it all, the legacy of our family further continues through Yaanaa.”

Vijayalakshmi’s parents were also from the industry. Her father Shankar Singh is a legendary filmmaker while her mother Prathima Devi was a popular actress in the late 40s and early 50s. Her brothers Sangram Singh and S V Rajendra Singh Babu, are directors. Her husband, Jai Jagdish is a well known actor and producer. Her nephew Aditya, son of Rajendra Singh Babu, is a popular Kannada actor.

Several popular directors including Yogaraj Bhat, Simple Suni, Chetan, Hrudaya Shiva have joined hands for Yaanaa. This film also marks the debut of actress Bhavana Rao as a choreographer.

“Unlike my previous ventures, Yaanaa has been one of the most memorable experiences for various reasons. I wouldn’t say that nobody has touched upon on such subjects in the past but in this film, the approach is fresh and it reflects the actual lifestyles of the millennials. Moreover, it doesn’t preach to the audience and focuses on entertaining them,” she adds.

Impressed by the film, the team which worked for KGF, is getting it released in Malayalam too. “This was a surprising decision. They had called me earlier saying that they are interested in the movie but I never took it seriously. However they approached me again  after watching the trailer and that is when everything fell into place. The movie is releasing on July 19,” the maker reveal.

Besides the three girls, there is a lot of young talent working for this film. Siri the first female Kannada rapper has sung a number in the film apart from Chandan Shetty and Raghu Dixit, Prakruti Kakkar, and Shashaa Tripathi. Joshua Sridhar has composed the music with the talented Anoop Seelin scoring the background music.

The three actresses —Vainidhi, Vaibhavi and Vaisiri, admit that having grown up in a family of filmmakers and actors, facing the camera was never a challenge. However they confess that working under the direction of their mother was an exciting experience.