This machine helped his community revive the art of weaving and buoyed the employment opportunities.
That a biopic on Padma Shri Chintakindi Mallesham, a Pochampally weaver’s son, is under production is no secret. Directed and produced by R. Raj along with co-producer Sri Adhikari, the biopic apparently chronicles Mallesham’s struggles, challenges and achievements as well as his invention, the Asu machine that processes yarn mechanically instead of needing manual yarning 6,000 times.
Priyadarshi Pullikonda and Jhansi on the sets.
Laxman Aelay’s artistic sensibilities coupled with a strong insight into Telangana’s rich heritage and culture prompted him to take on the production design for the film. “A lot of research went into the script, and took us around one year. We spoke to Mallesham and got several inputs to chronicle his tale,” says Laxman.
The drama that surrounded Mallesham’s hardships, defying moments in his life and his claim to fame would make for an ideal biopic, Laxman feels. “Mallesham was a class VI dropout; he couldn’t see his mother labouring for hours winding meters of yearn, so he eventually came up with his invention Asu. This machine helped his community revive the art of weaving and buoyed the employment opportunities. We feel it’s a great human angle to tell and will touch the lives of the people,” he adds.
Laxman, who has worked for Ram Gopal Varma’s films like Rangeela, Ninne Pelladutha, Daud, Satya, etc., further adds that the biopic will reflect the times of ’80’s and ’90s. “To stay true to the characters and film, we shot the film in the Pochampally and surrounding villages of Nalgaonda district and stayed there for around 4-5 months. To make the film look authentic and real, we have shot in real houses after renovating them a bit. In fact, the film reflects the ’80s times and reflects Telangana’s dying art forms like Gangireddu, Shaaradakaandru, Kaatipaapalu, Markandeya Puranam, the class of Dappu, Hari Dasu, Peerla Panduga and Yakshaganam amongst others, depending on the given situation.” In addition to actor Priyadarshi Pullikonda, who is reprising Mallesham, and Jhansi, who is playing his mother Laxmi, the film has a top notch crew. Peddiniti Ashok Kumar, who hails from Karimnagar, penned the dialogues while lyricist Gorantla Venkanna penned a song. Interestingly, the film also features Laxman making his acting debut. “I play the heroine’s father and a master weaver,” says Laxman.
Most of the film has been shot and the crew recently met caretaker IT Minister K.T Rama Rao. “He assured us help in the endeavour,” says Laxman.
