Avakai Biryani

Avakai Biryani (2008)

ఆవకాయ బిర్యాని

Story of an Auto Driver

A coming of age story of a man and a woman from diverse social backgrounds, faiths and aspirations.

Date of release
2008-11-14
TMDB
7.5 / 10 (4)
Runtime
2h 25m
Genres
Romance, Family
Director
Anish Kuruvilla

Casting

Interesting facts

Avakai Biryani is a 2008 Telugu-language film written and directed by Anish Kuruvilla. The film stars debutants Kamal Kamaraju and Bindu Madhavi as the lead pair. It revolves around Akbar Kalam, a Muslim auto rickshaw-driver and Lakshmi Jandhyala, a traditional Hindu woman with a romantic backdrop.

Production

Anish Kuruvilla previously assisted Nagesh Kukunoor in Rockford. At that time, Sekhar Kammula cast Kuruvilla for Dollar Dreams, Kammula's maiden directorial venture. Kuruvilla also assisted Kammula in the direction. Their relationship continued with the rest of Kammula's films – Anand (2004), Godavari (2006) and Happy Days (2007). It was only after the latter film, that Kuruvilla found himself ready to direct feature films.

Having the story ready, Kuruvilla narrated it to Kammula shortly after the release of Happy Days. Kammula liked the "nobility in the story" and asked him to expand it further. Kuruvilla was not only unsure about his story finding acceptance with Kammula, but also about the film's commercial success. In a special interview conducted by Kammula, Kuruvilla said:

"When I narrated the story to you, I expected 50/50 chance of you accepting the film. There are some elements that appeal to your sensibilities and some elements are unique to me. The avakai girl character will be liked by you. But there are some elements which might not be liked by you. Lucky, you liked the soul of the story. Another apprehension I had was the audience's expectations. They come to theaters expecting a Sekhar Kammula’s movie."

Kammula gave him the freedom to select the cast and crew for the film. After Kammula was satisfied with the third draft of the script, he did not involve himself with the rest of the filmmaking. Kuruvilla revealed that the script was a result of two years of his research. Having worked with Kammula before, Kuruvilla found his influence in his use of natural dialogues, characterization of the female protagonist and the taste of music.

Madanapalle born Bindu Madhavi was a model for sarees, jewelry and other consumer products. When she received the offer for the lead role, she accepted it right away after realizing that it involved Kammula and Kuruvilla. This film marked her debut as a mainstream actress.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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