A Friday changes the life of every artist. My life has been changed my Mangalavaaram’: Priyadarshi

Payal Rajput-starrer ‘Mangalavaaram’, directed by New-Age filmmaker Ajay Bhupathi, had a pan-Indian release on November 17. Produced by Swathi Reddy Gunupati and M Suresh Varma under Mudhra Media Works in association with Ajay Bhupathi’s ‘A’ Creative Works, the thriller has been showing success with a blockbuster talk from the first day of its release. The face hidden behind the mask in this movie has been a matter of suspense. There has been curiosity among the audience since before the movie’s release. Even the audience who saw the movie after its release did not reveal that twist to their friends. Today, the actor behind the mask was revealed to be Priyadarshi, who played Malacchamma in the movie. Priyadarshi’s mask was taken off by chief guest Vishwak Sen at the film’s success celebrations on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishwak Sen said, “He makes the heroine the hero. He covers a character’s face with a mask but does not reveal the face. He makes a filmmaker an item number dancer (referring to Tharun Bhascker’s song in ‘Mangalavaaram’). What will Ajay Bhupathi do to me if I do a film with him? Jokes apart, when Ajay narrates a story, it feels like watching a movie on an iconic single screen. Hearing the story of ‘Maha Samudram’, I was shocked. I couldn’t allocate the dates to it. If Ajay Bhupathi does a film with me, I want to wear a lungi and hold a sword again. ‘RX 100’, ‘Maha Samudram’, and now ‘Mangalavaaram’… Director Ajay Bhupathi speaks honestly for two and a half hours through his movies. I am a big fan of his directorial sense. Let’s make a movie soon! Well done, Payal. There are only a few producers who want to make a female-oriented movie of this quality. Hats off to the producers. Priyadarshi is a rare actor who makes money as well as gets fame by picking rare roles.”

Priyadarshi said, “Many people have seen our movie in theatres. Ajay Bhupathi had made a request during the pre-release ceremony not to reveal the twists. The media did not reveal the twists, particularly related to mine. I thank them for that. I have never had an experience of this kind. While narrating the story, I thought I was playing Puli. I like that character so much. I also liked the character of photographer Vasu.  I know how many auditioned before Payal for the character Shailu. Ajay Bhupathi smiled after she arrived. All the artists and technicians did a wonderful job. This is a movie that needs to be seen in theatres. Every actor waits for the right Friday to change his life. ‘Mangalavaaram’ is a film I will remember all my life. The reason for this is Ajay Bhupathi.”

Ajay Bhupathi said, “When I was doing the pre-production work of ‘RX 100’, my boss RGV talked to me about a hero and listed some features. I found them in Vishwak Sen after I saw a poster of ‘Vellipomaake’. He has since become ‘Mass Ka Das’. We both have the same mindset. As such, he likes it more. He came to support us here today. Many women are writing posts about this movie and tagging me on social media. We couldn’t have been happier. Their endorsement means a lot. Payal’s characterization has been received well. Don’t underestimate the audience’s intelligence. It has been proved once again that they are very updated. The way Payal’s character is handled, Payal’s acting and background music have become a huge hit. ‘Mangalavaaram’ is a movie that all women should go and watch. Thanks to all the technicians who helped me. I like Priyadarshi’s character more than any other character in the movie. Every artist wants to see his face on screen. Eighty percent of the time, Priyadarshi’s character’s face is not visible. But Priyadarshi understood the depth of that role. Thanks to him. Payal is irreplaceable. If not for our producers Swathi and Suresh Varma, I would not have made such a quality film. Shankar and Naveen have released well in Andhra and Ceeded areas. Dil Raju garu has distributed it in Nizam.”

BVS Ravi began his speech by congratulating producers Swathi and Suresh Varma for making such a huge film with faith in the story without any stars. “If talented directors come, new actors and technicians will emerge. It happened with Tharun Bhascker’s ‘Pelli Chooplu’ and Ajay Bhupathi’s ‘RX 100’.  ‘Mangalavaaram’ is like going to a village. Making a film without stars is a sacrifice every moment. To do that ‘yajna’, the director must have faith in himself. Congratulations to Ajay Bhupathi who did such a ‘yajna’ and got success. It is said that the suspense in this movie should not be told to anyone. Even though I knew the twist in the movies ‘Ave Kallu’ and ‘Anveshana’, I watched them again and again. Even if we know the climax and the twists in ‘Mangalavaaram’, we will watch it again and again. Ten minutes into the movie, we are totally absorbed. There is tension throughout. Horror, thriller and suspense are a unique blend. Such movies should be given U/A certificate. Many men should watch this movie for sure. Some day, these movies become classics. The climax is heart-touching. Payal acted brilliantly.”

Sira Sree said, “It is true that listening to Ajaneesh’s background music in this movie sent vibrations into the heart. Some people who saw the movie called me and asked me the names of the artists. I hope that Payal will get an award for her performance.”

Tharun Bhascker said, “I got a call from Ajay Bhupathi garu asking me to do a cameo. I was offered ‘Appadappada Thaandra’. I didn’t even dance at our friend’s Sangeet function. But I dance in this one. I really enjoyed it though. Ajay Bhupathi is a good friend. He has guts. There is not a single bad thought in the mind. He is such a clean-hearted person. After discussing some things with him, my thoughts underwent a change. Dancing to a good song is a thing that I can now strike off from my list. This is a movie made by talented artists and technicians. Watch it in theatres.”

Producer Suresh Varma recalled the journey from the day he and Swathi Gunupati decided to produce a movie to now. “We are proud to make ‘Mangalavaaram’ as the first film in our company. Congratulations to the audience for this victory. According to Tharun Bhascker, Ajay Bhupathi is a person with guts and honesty. Along with them, he is a man of conviction. We are happy to see this response to his hard work. Even though Tharun Bhascker is a big director, he agreed to do the song as soon as Ajay asked him. Priyadarshi is also a man of guts. Vishwak Sen is making a splash with movies with a variety of content. Thanks to him for coming to anchor a movie with different content. Payal deserves an award. Ajay Bhupathi is not only a director but is also my brother. I know how much he strove and struggled for this film for a year and a half. Along with directing, he took on many responsibilities. We are happy to compare this film with big films.”

Heroine Payal, actors Ravindra Vijay, Ajay Ghosh, Sritej, Shravan Reddy, Karthik, Laxman, lyricist Ganesh and others participated in the ‘Mangalavaaram’ success celebrations.