Ameer Log is the first production venture of Madhavi Reddy Soma under the banner of Awwal Number Productions. Directed by Ramana Reddy Soma, the film has Manohar Reddy Manchuri as its co-producer. MC Hari, Manoj and Sasidhar play the lead roles, while Vedha Jalandhar, Ravan Nittooru, Vishwender Reddy and Saiyogi appear in key roles. Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media is releasing the film grandly in Telugu on August 21. As part of the promotions, director Ramana Reddy Soma interacted with the media and shared several interesting details about the film. Tell us about your background:
I am from Raghavapuram in Nalgonda district. I came to Hyderabad in 1997 for higher studies and pursued Architecture at JNTU. I was an avid movie watcher even during those days. I started my own office in 2007 and have around two decades of experience in the architecture industry. During the COVID period, I went back to my hometown. Since I had plenty of free time then, I started watching many more films on OTT platforms.
How did you develop an interest in filmmaking?
I have always loved reading and writing stories. I started writing stories around six or seven years ago, drawing from my own experiences and things I had observed around me. Later, with the help of a friend, I learnt how stories should be written for cinema. I also picked up a few things through YouTube. Eventually, with the support of some friends, I got an opportunity to visit a shooting set. That is how my journey into cinema gradually began.
Tell us about your first filmmaking attempt:
I made a short film around three years ago. I wrote the story at night and shot it the following morning. We ended up with around 33 minutes of footage shot across a village and the city. After watching the output, I felt that I could do much better and decided that I should make a film only after preparing a proper bound script. During a podcast, I once heard Manoj Bajpayee mention the phrase ‘Ameer Log’. That stayed with me, and that is where this journey began.
How did the journey of ‘Ameer Log’ take shape?
I first locked the title ‘Ameer Log’. From there, I started exploring who the real ‘Ameer Log’ are and developed different ideas around it. I began writing a story set in a basti, revolving around three youngsters. My intention was to present a Hyderabad basti in a striking and authentic manner on screen. The script was completed around two years ago. I discussed it with several people, took their suggestions and prepared the final version. We also conducted a demo shoot and showed it to many people.
Why did you choose sync sound?
The artistes performed very naturally. We did some dubbing as well, but after dubbing, I could not recreate the same feeling I experienced on the sets. The sound did not feel right to me, so I decided to go with sync sound. A film like this needs to feel completely natural. We could not rely on sets either; we had to shoot in an actual basti. I felt sync sound would help retain that authenticity.
How many days did you take to complete the shoot?
We shot most of the film in the basti itself. Including the demo shoot, it took around 43 days. We spent 38 days shooting entirely in the basti. Since we also shot at night, the local residents had to put up with some inconvenience because of our schedules, which was a bit challenging.
What kind of support and suggestions have you received from Rana Daggubati and his team?
We showed ‘Ameer Log’ to the Spirit Media team. They liked the first half immediately. Later, they were extremely happy with the wonderful response from the audience to the second half. The support we have received from Rana and his team cannot be described in just a few words. Rana also shared a post about our film. He will be watching the movie himself very soon.
The film features a lot of Hindi. Will subtitles be provided?
The language in the film is similar to the way people speak in Hyderabad. There is mainly a local accent, with Urdu words naturally mixed into Telugu. While watching the film, audiences will not feel that the language is a barrier. The emotions in every scene will be easily understood. I am confident that the film will connect with audiences across sections.
What kind of response has ‘Ameer Log’ received so far?
I have shown the film ‘Ameer Log’ to many people so far. Recently, I screened it for several directors and actors as well. Among them, V. N. Aditya garu appreciated ‘Ameer Log’ and praised its writing as outstanding. I can never forget his appreciation. He compared the film to Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Jhund’ and Ranveer Singh’s ‘Gully Boy’.
Tell us about the music:
I asked Smaran to give us a Dawath song. But after watching the film, Smaran suggested where songs would work best. That’s how he gave us 10 wonderful songs. Lyricists Manoj and Nikhilesh have delivered beautiful lyrics. The song sung by Keeravani garu will remain memorable for decades.
What can you tell us about the censor report?
The censor board asked us to mute dialogues at only four or five places. Every character in the film has an important role, and the story is presented from the perspectives of the different characters. I gave the artistes a lot of freedom, which allowed them to improvise some dialogues on the sets. Ultimately, ‘Ameer Log’ is a complete family entertainer.
