A couple of years ago, Hari Shankar and Harish Narayan, the writer-directors of the Samantha-starrer Yashoda, never thought they would be making a full-fledged Telugu film. The Chennai-based duo, who directed the Tamil films Orr Eravu, Ambuli, Aaah and Jambulingam, were keen to move away from the indie, 3D and horror spaces they had explored earlier and make a mainstream film.
The starting point for Yashoda was a news report about an international surrogacy racket. “We wrote the story and screenplay with Samantha Ruth Prabhu in mind, since we wanted a strong female protagonist,” they reveal, speaking to The Hindu amid giving the finishing touches to post-production work at Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad. Their friend and executive producer Raja Senthil, who was among the first to read the script, put them in touch with producer Sivalenka Krishna Prasad and convinced the duo that it would make for a Telugu film.
Directors Hari Shankar and Harish Narayan make their Telugu debut with ‘Yashoda’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As the release date, November 11, inches closer, Hari and Harish remark that they have been lucky to work with a crew that knew both Telugu and Tamil and made them feel at home in Hyderabad. “In the process, we learnt Telugu. Everything fell in place once Samantha heard the story and agreed to be Yashoda without any hesitation. She told us, ‘I had goosebumps listening to the story; I want the audience to feel similar emotions while watching the film’.” Yashoda will also be released in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.
The directors state that the emotional core of Yashoda has been handled like an Indian film while the action portions play out like an international film, blended in with the help of editor Marthand Venkatesh. “We revealed the surrogacy aspect in the trailer since it is a crucial part of the story; but there is a lot more that the audience will discover. The narrative about the racket is a fictionalised and dramatised but has been inspired by true incidents.”
Hari and Harish sought the help of journalist-writers Pulagam Chinnarayana and Challa Bhagyalakshmi for the Telugu dialogues. “They have done a fantastic job; since they are journalists, they tweaked a few lines and worded them to enable better connection with the audiences,” says Harish. Hari chips in, “We were particular that a woman dialogue writer has to be involved for this film.”
A view of the luxury hospital set constructed for ‘Yashoda’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A chunk of the emotional thriller drama happens in a fictitious luxury hospital facility named Eva. The directors scouted five-star hotels in Hyderabad to find an apt venue but hit a dead end. They then sought the help of art director Ashok Kumar to construct a plush hospital set at Ramanaidu Studios, Nanakramguda, Hyderabad. Hari describes the ambience as “a pleasant space in which the characters discover something mysterious.” The set was designed in pleasing colours that one would associate with a woman and childcare centre, with the inputs of cinematographer M Sukumar. “We even made a corporate video for the fictional hospital,” Harish says with a laugh. He recalls, “The day Samantha stepped into the set she remarked that the set is the hero; it becomes a character in the story.”
Yashoda also stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Divya Sripada, Priyanka Sharma, Unni Mukundan and Kalpika Ganesh.
A crucial aspect of the film is its stunt choreography by Yannick Ben and Venkat, and the directors say that the stunts were designed with the perspective of how much a pregnant woman can do. “Yashoda takes on men, women and animals in the action sequences. But all of it had to be logically acceptable. We all know women who take public transport or go to work till the seventh or the eighth month. All that was kept in mind while designing the stunts.”
More than nervousness, Hari and Harish express their eagerness to watch the film in different languages. It has been a long journey for them to make Yashoda.
Samantha on the sets of ‘Yashoda’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Harish worked in the IT sector before making short films and corporate videos and finding his footing in cinema. Hari was an assistant director and freelancing as an editor when he met Harish. They discovered their common passion for cinema and decided to collaborate. “We share a lot of commonalities in our understanding of cinema. There are also days when we argue a lot,” says Hari.
In his early years in Chennai, Harish used to commute by train and read fiction or observe people from different walks of life. Hari is an avid movie buff who binge watches international films. “Our contrasting nature also helps in the collaboration,” says Harish.
Curious to see how Yashoda is received, Hari says, “We have tried to narrate a solid story within 2 hours and 15 minutes, approximately.” Harish adds, “It feels as though we are pregnant with the film and cannot wait to watch it with the audiences.”
