"In Mithra Mandali, director Vijayender brilliantly employed satire to critique caste and societal conventions. However, my personal view is that cinematic messages are ineffective tools for driving social change," says Priyadarshi, a day before the release of his buddy comedy, Mithra Mandali. The versatile actor, who was seen in the role of a lawyer in Court earlier this year, shares screen space with Vishnu Oi, Prasad Behara, Rag Mayur and others. In this interview, he talks about the film, whose heroine Niharika NM has been an influencer before.
Priyadarshi says that the end product matched his expectations that he had in mind ever since he listened to the story.
When Vijayendar gave me his first narration, the comedic flavour made me wonder if Anudeep KV (Jathi Ratnalu fame) could have written it. But then, similarities are limited. Vijayendar has his own directorial voice and originality, something I realized as I started working on this film. Vijayendar has worked with Anudeep KV, Aditya Hasan, and (MAD fame) Kalyan Shankar. In fact, they were roomies at one point of time. (The three friends have intimately collaborated on the project in the last few weeks during the post-production).
I am aware of the negative trolling on Mithra Mandali. The worst comments often come from those who simply can't offer a real rebuttal. Ultimately, humor is subjective: some jokes land, and some don't. Anonymous trolling is par for the course. I see a targeted campaign against our movie. While constructive criticism is welcome, besmirching or insulting someone is wrong. We have even made a light-veined video on the negative campaign against Mithra Mandali.
I have confidently asked the audience to bypass my upcoming movie if Mithra Mandali disappoints them. Obviously, I said it out of love. I was inspired by Nani anna's confidence during Court promotions. (Nani made a similar statement, saying people can skip HIT 3 if Court disappoints them).
While our film has a social satire angle and commentary, it doesn't single out any group of people or community. It's a well-meaning comedy entertainer telling an entirely fictional story.
Since Niharika NM is Telugu, she integrated seamlessly and was comfortable with the team immediately. Her rapid adjustment made her an instant asset.
Holding paid premieres on the evening of October 15th was a well-thought-out decision made by Bunny Vasu. The 'word of mouth' will come out first for our movie among all Diwali releases. I am confident that this strategy will pay off.
I have consciously avoided scripts that are heavily inspired by the Jathi Ratnalu flavour of comedy. I have often shifted gears by doing movies like 35 - Chinna Katha Kaadu and Court. While Mithra Mandali's trailer might be making people draw parallels with Jathi Ratnalu, the two films are different in many substantial ways. I am confident that Mithra Mandali will resonate with the overseas crowd as well.
Premante is my upcoming release. I am in talks for two other projects. (Premante co-stars Suma Kanakala in a major role).
