Backing a film isn't just a financial matter for producer Surpiya Yarlagadda. The backing is a skillset, often blended with emotion. Yarlagadda, the producer of the latest Telugu film Dacoit (Annapurna Studios presented the title), produced her first film at 19. Since then, she has brought to the illustrious banner a touch that is intuitive and watchful. "I may not be the biggest producer. But my skill set comes in being somebody who is able to hear things, hear ideas," she tells The Hollywood Reporter India in an exclusive interview.
She discusses the responses to Dacoit, the recent Telugu-Hindi bilingual romance starring Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur, and the increasing focus on box-office revenue in today’s cinema landscape.
Can you start by talking about 'Dacoit' and what interested you about the film?
I think when Sesh and Shaneil had told me what they had in mind, I found the world that they were trying to present very attractive. It is very present, it's very now, but it's got a certain rusticness to it. It's happening somewhere in the heartland of India.
And it felt very grounded, even though it's very slick. I mean, there's a certain kind of beautification around the rustic nature of it. I fell for the emotions. And in terms of why we made it in both languages, you know, you try to do something very different. Yes, I can dub a film. That's the norm today. So why can't we do something out of the norm? And for this kind of film, because it's so tight, all the dialogue is shot in such a tight way. I don't think a dub would’ve been able to get that emotion across. So yes, a lot of hard work and effort went into it. We can go on saying we did a lot of hard work, we did this, we did that. But at the end of the day, if that hard work translates into it looking authentic up there, it looking interesting up there, then we've been successful.
Can you take us through some of the responses you've been getting for the film?
It's been a rollercoaster. It's been a rollercoaster because I think what happens is when something out of the norm happens. I don't think the audience is sitting and expecting and waiting to rush to theatres on a Friday morning unless it's a very, very big spectacle. I think the surprise for me has been just normal people who are unrelated to the industry, connecting to the film. Lots of young folk go like, ‘hey, this is so cool.’ Because we're not used to watching love stories anymore. We are looking at feel-good films.
I think we've succeeded. A lot of people have said, I've not seen a film like this. That for me has been exciting.
Can you talk to us about the casting and how important Mrunal and Sesh were to the movie?
It's everything because it's their faces. It's their faces that drive the emotion. And both of them just brought so much. You can write the best stuff, you can imagine the best stuff, but you need to have actors who really get into it. I think Mrunal, though her character is not as buoyant as Hari's, nailed the subtleties, and Sesh just kind of carried the film with a lot of heart. You can't make a film like this without committed and some very nuanced actors.
You’ve spoken about how you act as a sounding board to films like this, which is very interesting for me. Can you talk to us about being a hands-on producer?
Each producer has their own skill set. There's a lot of skill in this. This is just not money. Yes.
And they have their advantages. So I felt that my advantage and contribution have been to be engaged in the creative. I may not be the biggest producer. My skill set comes in being somebody who is able to hear things. I keep hearing the ideas. I do know that the industry says producers are the people who back the film. The backing is not just financial. The backing is emotional. The backing is entangled with skill.
And I think today, the need to have hands-on producers emotionally attached to their films, taking ownership of their films, is going to go a long way.
How do you green-light a film? As a creative producer, what are you looking for in a pitch?
First comes magic, and then comes money. Is there magic in the film? And then, is there going to be safety in the film? Our odds are very low in terms of art. So you have to have magic. And then to know that you can make this film safe. This is something that a producer like Shobu Yarlagadda did with Baahubali. This is where the producer's strength comes in. Where they know they're able to make a film, make a second part, know how to leverage, and come back as producers.
How has this journey been for you? You leapt into production pretty young.
I've been super lucky. I first have to thank the foundations I stand on. I cannot imagine how it would be for someone who wants to do this from the outside. I'm grateful for that and the privilege that we have been given. So when I started, I just wanted to work. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to work every day. I had these huge umbrellas and security blankets that offered and took the risks.
I was doing some of the work, but they were taking the risks. Was it hard? Yes, it is hard for anyone who wants to work. Anyone who wants to get out every day and work and put in a brick every day. And I think my intention was always that. Whether I did it knowingly or unknowingly, I put that brick down.
Now I feel like the industry's changed tremendously. We have many, many advantages and many, many challenges. We have to battle the perception of a film before it even reaches the audience. And you guys are crucial in that. And it's become not just about filmmaking. It's about the management of your film: after it's made, while it's made. And I think that world is very new to me. And I feel that's something all of us need to rethink. Because cinema today is at some kind of a definite disruption point.
Everything is very quick today. Reaction is very quick. One just writes something (about a movie), whether they think it's responsible or not. But we're not warring. This is not a war. We don't need to make it one. It's meant to be pleasurable. It's meant to be entertaining. It's meant to give joy.
With box-office numbers taking precedence in conversations about cinema, how do you see this new shift in film discourse?
It was always there. As a child, I remember the conversations would be about the quarter-page ad that we were going to put for the second week's collections. The aspect of money is always linked to the success of a film. But today, what is happening is so tactile in the way information is moving that if the wrong information moves, that becomes the perception of my film. So that's the issue. But I think there is nothing wrong in putting out what my film did because if that means that you are going to think my film is successful, so be it.
Finally, nobody is going to come and watch a film because it made so many crores. They're going to come and watch if their neighbour or partner said it was good. Or if it reached them and they found something about it good.
How do you balance tradition with modern storytelling demands at Annapurna Studios (she is also the Executive Director of the banner), which is steeped in legacy? Do you think about the responsibility that comes with this position?
I think about it a lot. But at the same time, I do think about the fact that a film is a film. The film is bigger. We are here because one man, my grandfather, decided to be in film. I do believe that there is a responsibility for what kind of films you want to make. You have to go with your gut on what feels right for your legacy, for your present times.
Do you watch a lot of films? What are a few movies you enjoy watching in your free time?
I love watching. I wish I could do more of it. The only way I can watch a film is in the theatre. I cannot watch it at home. I like to go and sit in that dark space with my popcorn and just be immersed in that thing. I'm a big fan of films like Arundhati and Eega, where there's an element of fantasy. Something that’s a true-blooded Indian film. Films like Magadheera, Virupaksha.
I also think we have to separate ourselves as filmmakers and as an audience, and I think there are two aspects to it.