Amma Cheppindi

Infobox_Film
name = Amma Cheppindi


imdb_id = 0827695
writer = Gangaraju Gunnam
starring = Sharwanand,
Shriya Reddy,
Suhasini,
Nagendra Babu
director = Gangaraju Gunnam
producer = Urmila Gunnam
distributor =
music = M. M. Keeravani
editing =
cinematography = Sandeep Gunnam
editing = Mohan Rama Rao
released = July 28, 2006
country = India
language = Telugu
budget =

"Amma Cheppindi" (Telugu: అమ్మ చెప్పింది, English: "Mother Said So") is a 2006 Tollywood drama film written, screenplay, dialogues and direction by Gangaraju Gunnam. Sharwanand, Shriya Reddy and Suhasini play important roles. Nagendra Babu, Pawan Malhotra, Tanikella Bharani, Suman and L. B. Sriram played the supporting cast. While M. M. Keeravani provided the background score for the film, cinematography was by Gunnam's son, Sandeep and editing by Mohan Rama Rao.

The film's story revolves around "Bose" (Sharwanand), a mentally under-developed youngster. His family includes his father, who is a scientist in a rocket center, his mother (Suhasini), who dotes on him and his academically bright brother. Bose is considered to be dumb in the residential township and he is looked down upon. When Inter-Services Intelligence plans to bomb the rocket center during a prominent event, Bose helps the township and the country with his heroic deed as his token of appreciation to his doting mother.

Production

Pre-production

Gunnam's previous films "Little Soldiers" (1996), "Aithe" (2003) and "Anukokunda Oka Roju" (2005) could not garner much at the box-office. In an interview, he said that he "could not connect with larger section of audiences."cite web|date=2006-07-27|accessdate=2008-03-08|url=http://www.idlebrain.com/news/2000march20/chitchat-gangarajugunnam.html |title=Chitchat with Gangaraju Gunna|work=Idlebrain.com] However, he expressed optimism that the viewership has increased for his last two movies. While he produced the last two, his last directorial venture was "Little Soldiers" back in the nineties. This hiatus, according to him, was neither optional nor intentional but, it was either due to lack of funds or lack of offers to direct films.cite web|accessdate=2008-03-08|url=http://www.totaltollywood.com/interviews/interviews.php?category=6&id=gangaraju |title=Gunnam Gangaraju talks about his upcoming film "Amma Cheppindi"|first=Phani|work=Totaltollywood.com] It was only after his friend who began a production house, Just Yellow Productions, he ventured into production.

For "Amma Cheppindi", the short story "Flowers for Algernon" that Gunnam read a long time ago, provided him with the necessary ideas. However, he said that the film's final screenplay is not similar to that story. The script for the film was written six years before filmmaking, even before his last two production ventures were conceptualized. Despite this, the script remained the same.

Casting

Urmila Gunnam, the director's wife and producer for the film was responsible for selecting the cast for the film.

The Gunnams noticed Sharwanand in "Vennela" (2005) and called him to discuss about this project. After a screen test, he was selected for the role of "Bose".cite web|accessdate=2008-03-08|url=http://www.totaltollywood.com/interviews/interviews.php?category=1&id=sharwanand |title=Sharwanand talks to TT in this exclusive interview|first=Visu|work=Totaltollywood.com] After Sharwanand was selected after a long and futile search, director Gunnam said that he could not imagine any one else performing that role.

About Suhasini, who plays the mother of the protagonist, Gunnam was initially hesitant about her being too young and slim to play a mother's role. However, he appreciated her performance and termed it as one of the most natural ones seen in recent times. Gunnam said that Sriya Reddy performance was one of the rarest seen by a Telugu actress in a while.

Reviews

One review said that Sharwanand "should feel lucky to get this role in the beginning of his career that has given him scope to come up with an award winning performance."cite web|accessdate=2008-03-08|url=http://www.idlebrain.com/movie/archive/mr-ammacheppindi.html |title=Amma Cheppindi - Telugu cinema review|first=Jeevi|work=Idlebrain.com] Though the review wrote well about the music, dialogues, story and depiction of emotional scenes, the editing, screenplay and direction was hoped to have been better. Another review said that though the pace of the film was slow in the beginning, the performance by the cast and the technical departments was good.cite web|accessdate=2008-03-08|date=2006-07-28|url=http://www.andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=9012 |title=Amma Cheppindi: Film review|work=Andhracafe.com]

References

External links

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