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WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE A FEW YEARS AGO, I BINGE-WATCHED ALL MY GRANDFATHER’S FILMS. BUT IT WAS ONLY AFTER HE PASSED AWAY IN 2015 THAT I BEGAN SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING WHETHER WE COULD REVIVE THE BANNER, WHICH MADE CLASSICAL BLOCKBUSTERS
The late Edida Nageswara Rao made blockbusters and classic films like Siri Siri Muvva, Sankarabharanam, Sagara Sangamam, Seethakoka Chiluka, Swayamkrushi and Swarna Kamalam under his home banner. His last film was the Chiranjeevi-starrer Aapadbandhavudu (1992).
And now, after 30 years, Nageswara Rao’s granddaughter Edida Srija is reviving the home banner, (Poornodaya) with the film First Day First Show.
Srija, who worked in the US for several years in Project Management, says she was always fascinated by films.
Whose idea was it to revive the banner, we ask. “When I was in college a few years ago, I bingewatched all my grandfather’s films. But it was only after he passed away in 2015 that I began seriously considering whether we could revive the banner, which made classical blockbusters,” she says.
Did she ever share her thoughts of becoming a filmmaker with her grandfather? “Unfortunately, no,” she replies. “I wish I had such conversations with him, but the seed of becoming a filmmaker germinated after his demise.”
She discussed the idea with her father (Edida Sriram) and mother. And both approved of it. “I could instantly feel the connection; I had a sense of belonging with this fraternity. I started enjoying my work, and also learned more about filmmaking,” says Srija who has done a course in production from the New York Film Academy.
For someone who has little experience in production, making a film was certainly an uphill task. (A few years ago, Srija had assisted producer Swpana Dutt for the web series Kumari Srimathi and picked up the ropes of the craft).
“Before the start of the shooting, I met Allu
Aravind Sir. He gave me the best advice — ‘be prepared to get your hands dirty’. And I game for it,” she says. Quitting a lucrative IT job in the US and venturing into films was a risky proposition. But Srija feels filmmaking has changed a lot over time. “I’m glad to see so many women in a male-dominating industry. With technology and new opportunities emerging, the industry is a lot more structured,” she feels.
Directed by Vamsidhar Goud and Lakshmi Narayana, First Day First Show is a comic story about a young guy who is trying to get a ticket for his favourite star’s movie on the first day. “It’s a not about the film industry and how it operates, but talks about a fan’s life from his perspective,” she clarifies.