Avika Gor: None of the ‘good’ Telugu scripts will dangle, I am the investor now

Sai Ronak and Avika Gor are currently gearing up for their romantic entertainer Popcorn, which will hit theaters on February 10. The Romantic entertainer marks the debut of Avika as a producer. The actress, who is all excited for the film, shares some exclusive insights about her debut production project

Shikha Duggal

For Avika Gor, donning the cap of a leadership position now was truly moving and affecting. It was frankly visible at the launch of her first ever baby project under her own banner, where we saw the actress crying her eyes out and Nagarjuna Akkineni bringing some solace on the stage. Capture-worthy moment! And, the cherry on the cake where her boyfriend’s support went beyond the doubt.

Avika really feels he made a difference in her life apart from her encouraging parents. So let’s not waste anymore time and bring you the sentiments of a newly turned producer.

“My curiosity led me to become a producer: always on the sets of my movies I was more interested in how the editing process was done. If I may recall, my Balika Vadhu co-star and I used to make short films too, which premiered at Cannes. That’s where the knack began! Becoming a producer doesn’t mean I’ll quit acting now. The love is so enormous that I have seen people dying to live my life, and I can’t let it go. My inclination is more towards Telugu cinema, I don’t want any of their scripts to be hanging in the middle just so they can’t find an investor. Now, I am that investor! Was a little apprehensive at the beginning, since I don’t belong to a filmy background but here’s my first project titled Popcorn.”

Taking the paramount from the front, Avika explains how it goes back at her production house, “Telugu industry respects women leaders like no other. They know I am not a newcomer. My team relies only on me to take the creative calls! I am always there as a producer now, my involvement has increased ten folds. Initially, my father was in doubt about giving me a chance to debutantes because he was counting on big names. I think it’s a little different. I took the help of a factual approach and made him believe in me. I was successful in convincing him, finally. I have already locked two more films under my banner even before the release of Popcorn. I am on a rage.”

She couldn’t stop herself from narrating what happened at the launch, and goes on, “Before meeting him at the launch, he invited me over to know more about how have I treaded on the path of becoming a producer at such a young age. He called me “courageous” knowing the insights of the business himself. He told, it’s very rare to have a producer like this in our industry yet. I chose Popcorn as my first production, because it’s a complicated story and I love this genre way too much. It was extremely challenging for us because we are whirling inside an elevator. Nobody has ever dared to try such a concept until now. My entrepreneurial brain started to tick as soon as I heard the script: a story inside an elevator is of good productions value (she giggled).”

The Thankyou fame continued, “He advised me to go for the child’s play, a script that moves the cine-goers. He informed let the team take care of the commercialisation, I must focus on emotions. I will never bring in characters that are dancing around the trees now, they should have substance to show. When in a meeting as a producer, even my team never blindly follows my commands and I appreciate their sensibilities. We discuss and discuss, and that worked in our favour. They neither underestimate my knowledge on films. Over the years also, I have made my image very conscious like that and would love to implement the same through my production banner too. I never went after the big banners, will advise the same to the upcoming actors too. Never do average work after becoming a star! Be patient: innumerable script narrations and meetings will only lead to fame.”

Talking a little about what’s happening in the film too, she shared, “The title resonates with entertainment, it has flavours. Speaking, metaphorically. 90 percent of the film is shot inside the elevator and it wasn’t difficult, it was different. It wasnt claustrophobic but we didn’t change our costumes at all! Our songs were choreographed inside a lift, unimaginable. Although, before starting I was under the shadow that a dance sequence inside an elevator may fail but it worked out well for us.”

Avika claimed taking the call of signing Sai Ronak was one of her first cool decisions as a producer since, “He’s way too charming. You can watch him for hours and hours and can’t get bored! I did my first ever on-screen kiss with him, so Ronak is someone who I can never forget. I remember having my chums on the sets and he kept reassuring whether I was doing fine or not. These little moments are unforgettable for me. In fact, he used to fill me with positivity on the sets! He not just understood me as a co-actor, but also obeyed me as a producer. For example, when the shoot used to get extended for a few more hours I never saw Sai Ronak throwing tantrums on me. He was never in a hurry to go back to his vanity van, which shows an actor’s personality. So, my first ever production went really well.”