With the content curating model and production capabilities already in place at Silly Monks, the company has stepped up to the plate and put its own productions in place with the launch of its first film Project.
Production number one: 24 Kisses
Going on the floors with their first production late last year, the team is ready to roll out this unique rom-com that is targeted to the next gen of movie- goers, 24 Kisses. The story line based on the myth that if you are kissed 24 times by the one you like, you will be together forever. Bringing in youth sensation Hebah Patel and AdithArun, who have been around just long enough to know the ropes and yet bring the element of freshness to the project is hoped to be the key factor in this story telling.
Roping in Ayodhya Kumar Krishnamsetty as the man at the helm of this project was a brilliant choice given his award-winning record, with seven Nandi awards. His first film Minugurulu, is the first Telugu script to be “preserved in the Oscar Library’s permanent core collection” as well as being the first ever Telugu film to be nominated to the Oscars as India’s entry in the feature film category in 2014.
From journalism to acting, AdithArun has traversed an unusual path to being a critically acclaimed young actor in the industry. Having debuted in 2009 against Genelia D’Souza in Katha, Adith’s claim to fame would be with the well-received spy thriller Garuda Vega in 2017 directed by Praveen Sattaru. Hebah Patel debuted in 2014 with the Tamil film ThirumanamEnumNikkah. After a mixed bag of releases since then, Hebah went on to star in KUMARI 21F, a coming-of-age love story which earned her the critical acclaim of “steals the show” by the media.Hebah is also a model and dancer.
This project aimed at being an off-beat love story is slated to be both bold as well as appealing to the new generation that believes in doing things their own way. Conceived as a bilingual project, the shoot wrapped for Telugu right on schedule for a good World-Wide release for the 23rd November 2018. Portions of the Tamil version being produced in collaboration with Cosmos Entertainments, also featuring Munish Kanth, JP, Yogi Babu still remain to be shot and is looking at a Valentine’s Day 2019 release.
Speaking about this labour of love, Ayodhya Kumar had this to say –“A random thought sometimes can take us places. The storyline for this movie came by randomly and sitting down months later to work on it gave rise to this beautiful love story that is sure to strike a chord with the youth of today. A chance meeting with the team at Silly Monks and Sanjay Reddy & Sreenivas Musani of Ektha Group helped bring this dream project to fruition. Never compromising on sourcing, the best talent for my projects is what led to showcasing the best that the industry has to offer. My first film Minugurulu won me a lot of accolades and I’m hopeful this is well accepted too.”
Sanjay Reddy, MD Silly Monks who is also the co-producer along with Anil Pallala, CEO Silly Monks, Sreenivasa Musani of Ektha group and Ayodhya Kumar, excited on the company’s first foray into film production, very poignantly added“As a company so deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry, it was but a matter of time for Silly Monks to foray into film production. Having mastered the digital distribution network, the backward integration with creating our own IP and stories we believe in was probably long overdue. The Telugu language promos have received amazing responses form the viewers, which led to distributors evincing interest. How much better does it for a company like ours slated for its maiden venture into production to have nearly 300 theatres & more lined up already!We at Silly Monks are proud to present to world of movie goers a fresh take on romance and youth, with 24 Kisses.”
Ready to be romanced?
The protagonists of the film are Anand and Srilakshmi. Anand is a children’s filmmaker, and Srilakshmi is an aspiring short filmmaker. They meet at a college filmmaking workshop and Srilakshmi is immediately taken with Anand and follows him around, asking him to teach her filmmaking techniques. Anand begins to like her and they end up kissing each other. Anand makes it very clear to her that he does not believe in love or marriage. Srilakshmi, who is love with his humane nature, agrees to everything he says, just to be with him. After many ups & downs, Anand reflects upon his life and realizes he’s actually in love with her.
The film revolves around how Anand finally falls in love with Srilakshmi and how Srilakshmi gets her 24th Kiss from him. It’s a love story with neo-realistic settings. The characters are very close to ‘new-gen’ people we see these days and most of us can relate to them.
