The made-in-Hyderabad Telugu movie, 'Lotus Pond', is likely to give frontline movies a tough time. The state government recently exempted the movie, which was shortlisted for the 17th International Children's Film Festival, from entertainment tax and has also sanctioned it to run an extra show in the mornings. Tollywood director Puri Jagannath's son Akash Petla along with Rohit Ranka of Golconda High School fame play lead roles in the movie.
The movie revolves around two students of a boarding school driven by their inquisitiveness to explore the mythical Lotus Pond in the Himalayas. They set for a journey in the Himalayas during one of their classes at school, thinking they would return back. They do not know that the journey includes terrains at 14,000 ft. Along the way, the mountain and its people help these boys finally reach the pond. But they don't find the lotus there, as it is finally what they learnt on their way.
Akash, who plays the lead character in the movie, says: "I was always interested in movies and I definitely want to pursue acting in future." It is his fourth Tollywood movie and the first as a protagonist. On his experience and role through the course of the movie, Akash says, "The trek through the Himalayas, the nature and everything, it was just wonderful. I loved every bit of it. It was my first time in the Himalayas and it was freezing cold." Aakash says his father has been very supportive. "My dad is a great director and an inspiration. He just told me to go ahead with the script and perform it to my best. He advises me on a lot of things and we talk regularly about films." However, his father, Puri Jagannath, who also directed Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap, says he won't be directing his son's movie anytime soon. "He is very focused on acting. I'll let him think for himself and if he needs any advice, I am always there to help him."
'Lotus Pond' is produced by Nitin Kumar Allagadda and directed by Vinda PG. Nitin says the locations of the movie will be much spoken about. "The place where we shot the movie was Patlipul, from which we had to trek for four days to reach the pond. All the places in the movie are completely virgin and unexplored." He adds, "Shooting a few sequences and setting the cameras was a little difficult with the terrain. We took over 40 days to shoot and were camping there till the end." With children being in the movie, Nitin says things get even more easier. "We had really cooperative kids who always listened to you." The producer says he chose the script as there have not been many children's films coming up in the city and are working on coming up with one production every year.
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