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New Indian Express

Hemanth Kumar: We are not business people yet. We are still storytellers

At a time when the line between audience and artist continues to blur, journalists Hemanth Kumar and Vrinda Prasad have made the leap from observing cinema to making it. Their debut production Muthayya, a heartwarming Telugu indie written and directed by Bhaskhar Maurya, was born not out of a boardroom plan but a shared restlessness. The film, which stars Sudhakar Reddy Kethiri in a breakout performance, has travelled to several festivals and earned praise from industry giants including SS Rajamouli and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. But for Hemanth and Vrinda, it's not just about acclaim, it's about integrity too. Vrinda says the shift began when she grew disillusioned with television. 'There's only so much you can do on TV,' she adds, 'There's a format, and there's no space to explore stories with heart. I'd always told Hemanth, who's been my best friend for over 15 years, that we should do something on our own one day. But we didn't have the courage then.' In 2019, the duo started planned to do something else but it didn't last long. Then, in 2021, Vrinda, working at Zee at the time, decided she'd had enough of corporate restraiants. She recalls quitting on May 30. Five days later, a friend brought Bhaskhar's Muthayya script to them. 'He said, 'It's your kind of film.' We heard it on June 5, and by June 7, we told Bhaskhar we were in. No investors, no plan; we just knew we had to make it.' Funding came from a friend, equipment came from well-wishers, and goodwill fuelled the production. Cinematographer Divakar Mani joined on a friendly basis and was later given co-producer credit. 'Everything about this film happened because of people who just believed in the story,' Vrinda says. Hemanth's entry into production, he says, stems from his 'genuine love for Telugu cinema.' A mechanical engineering graduate from BITS Pilani, he found his calling in criticism, blogging about movies from 2007. 'I took a film studies elective in my final semester and watched Nostalgia by Tarkovsky,' he says, 'It blew my mind. I didn't even understand what I was watching, but I knew I wanted to study film seriously.' The idea of enabling other people's stories rather than telling their own is a conscious one. Vrinda admits she has no interest in writing fiction, and Hemanth laughingly says he would be 'the worst director'. But as producers, they have clarity of purpose. 'Our job is to spot the potential in an idea and create the best environment to bring it alive,' she says. That clarity also comes with an awareness of risk. 'Nobody wakes up and says they want the headache of producing a film,' Hemanth laughs and adds, 'But producers are the unsung heroes. From scouting talent and building a crew to thinking two years ahead about where the market will be, it's exhausting and invisible work.' Hemanth specifies that the film was made in just 15 days, including reshoots. 'We didn't have the luxury of time, but the clarity of vision helped. Bhaskhar, our director, had a very unique approach; he didn't want to overwhelm the actors, many of whom were new. That affected how we framed the scenes too. The camera just observed,' he says. The film's visual language, composed of long takes and static shots, initially worried Vrinda. 'There were no close-ups, no coverage,' she recalls. 'I was terrified. But once we saw the rough cut, we knew it worked.' Their debut might have been an emotional leap of faith, but they are more pragmatic now. 'If you ask me today to make Muthayya again, I don't know if I'll do it unless I have a streaming deal in place,' Vrinda says. 'The struggle was real. We made it during COVID, aimed for OTT. The streamers were taking any film that was available in the market. By the time we were done, then theatres reopened. Suddenly, the world changed. Now, everybody is going behind theatres. It was a battle for us to bring the film out.' Despite all this, Muthayya found its home. Eventually released on ETVWin. The film also went on to premiere at festivals, gaining attention from industry heavyweights. 'Nani released our teaser, Kajal launched our poster, and Suriya sir tweeted about it,' Vrinda recounts, her voice still tinged with disbelief. 'That's the beauty of the relationships we've built over the years. These are people who've seen us grow, just as we've seen them evolve.' Hemanth agrees and says, 'That support doesn't come from nowhere. People knew we were genuine, that we give our heart and soul to a project.' Their past in film journalism remains both a foundation and a lens. Hemanth adds, 'When I reviewed films, I never claimed to know everything. It was just my personal perspective. That humility stays. We think of the audience first. I don't bring that understanding here. The media world gave me access to every part of the industry. I learnt so much just by asking questions on sets and in interviews. That's what shaped my understanding of cinema.' Today's audience, they believe, is fragmented. 'Everyone is busy with something now,' Hemanth says. 'If people have two hours, they might go to YouTube, Instagram, or Netflix. That's why films have to earn their time. If you're spending two hundred rupees, you need to walk into an experience.' Still, both are clear about one thing: they are not in it just for survival. 'There's a reason we didn't chase stars or big names for Muthayya,' Vrinda says, 'The story was the star. Sudhakar gaaru brought a kind of magic no big name could have.' As for what kind of stories they want to tell, both cite a blend of instinct and economics. 'You have to play by certain rules,' Hemanth says, 'The crowd matters. We might love European cinema, but that can't always dictate our choices. Still, we believe there's space for both.' Vrinda concludes saying, 'The industry definitely needs more producers. Not just businessmen, but people who care about stories and processes. Because this job is lonely, unpredictable, and hard, but it is also full of possibilities.' Hemanth agrees, 'At heart, we're still storytellers, not business people yet. We want to help tell stories we believe in. Because making cinema could be a journey of 1 or 2 years, and through all that, if you don't believe in your film, there's no point.' As they look ahead, their plans are more structured. They're working on a rural comedy, a rom-com, and a horror film. They are also actively pitching scripts to platforms and looking for collaborative partners. 'You can't stick to one model anymore,' Hemanth says. 'Some projects are OTT-bound, others are theatrical. But you have to think of the crowd. Our taste cannot be the only filter.'