Is studying filmmaking and training in it the only way to become a filmmaker? Apparently not. The trailer of Bollywood director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK’s upcoming production Cinema Bandi is based on the simple idea that “everyone is a filmmaker at heart”.
The trailer opens with an autorickshaw driver finding an expensive camera in the back seat of his rickshaw. Upon learning that it is not a toy and in fact, the same kind of camera used to shoot films of Tollywood hotshots such as Prabhas, Mahesh Babu and Pawan Kalyan, two friends set on a quest to shoot a film. In the process taking audiences along for an entertaining ride filled with laughter and innocence.
An elderly villager turns writer, one of the school toppers is cast as the “heroine” and needless to say, the two friends become directors while shooting the film. Some of the shots in the trailer reflect the honest and complete efforts of this film crew. In one scene, we see a man explaining how the foam cover of the shotgun mic is actually a place for camerapersons to wipe the sweat off their palms while shooting, whereas another visual show a group of people pulling a lorry from behind, enabling the camera person to shoot a high-angle tracking shot.
Towards the end of the trailer, we see the original owners of the camera searching for it, leaving us with the question of whether the amateur crew’s relentless efforts at filmmaking and saving their drought-hit village, come to fruition.
Watch the trailer of 'Cinema Bandi' here:
Sharing the trailer on Friday on social media, Raj & DK wrote, “Made by first-time director Praveen Kandregula, his writing partner Vasanth Maringanti, and shot by a small group of friends, Cinema Bandi is quintessential, grassroots filmmaking. A true indie :) Kudos to the entire team for pulling this off!”
Reiterating the idea behind the film, the YouTube caption for the trailer of Cinema Bandi reads, “There’s more story behind the scenes than what meets the eye on-screen". The movie is all set to premiere on OTT platform Netflix on May 14.