Vizag-based director Praveen focuses on 3 big projects next

Visakhapatnam: The year '2023' is going to be the busiest year for Visakhapatnam-based filmmaker Praveen Kandregula as he is working on three big projects, roping in top actors. After his directorial debut with 'Cinema Bandi' that bagged a special jury award in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held in Goa last year, Praveen says that he is pretty excited to focus on three of his dream projects next centred on three different genres.

In a free-wheeling chat with The Hans India, the 30-year-old filmmaker says that his journey in the past 10 years was certainly not a cakewalk. "Before becoming a director, I essayed diverse roles in the fields of cinematography, documentary filmmaking, short filmmaking and as an advertising agent before getting an opportunity to direct a film.

Fortunately, with Raj and DK as producers, Cinema Bandi garnered a wider reach," shares Praveen, who did his B.Tech in GITAM, Visakhapatnam. In a highly competitive world, Praveen believes that making content-driven cinema will continue to hold sway. His association with camera began pretty early and when he grew up, he was quite sure about his choice of career.

"I was in Class VII when I wielded a video camera for the first time. Cinema Bandi, streaming on Netflix portrays parts of my personal experience and the joy of being a filmmaker," he conveys.

The humour-coated Cinema Bandi was shot in the backdrop of Gollapalli village of Karnataka with a team of fresh faces communicating Kannada-Telugu dialect. "It was supposed to be a theatrical release. But due to Covid-19 pandemic, the film went for an OTT release," recalls Praveen. Elaborating about his ensuing projects, Praveen says that the fresh plots are not only content-driven but also revolve around diverse genres.