Exclusive! I had the good fortune of working in a Puneeth Rajkumar production with Family Pack: Amrutha Iyengar

Amrutha Iyengar is on a dream run of sorts, the actress who was part of 2020’s hit Love Mocktail, followed that up with a role in Popcorn Monkey Tiger, then Badava Rascal and, more recently Love Mocktail 2, all of which have worked well at the box office. In fact, Badava Rascal, which is completing 50 days at the box office here, is getting released in Telugu and Tamil, which will take her to those industries, so, it’s been good going for the Mysuru hudugi.

Up next, Amrutha will be seen this week in her first direct-to-OTT release, Family Pack, which is coming to Amazon Prime Video on February 17. The film, a PRK Productions venture directed by Arjun Kumar S, who made Sankashtakara Ganapathi earlier, pairs Amrutha with Likith Shetty. “The team knew right from the start that Family Pack would be a straight-to-OTT release. In fact, the late Puneeth (Rajkumar) sir, had told us. As an actress, of course, I would have preferred a theatrical release, because I enjoy that experience. It’s fun to watch a film with fans; you just can’t compare that to an OTT release. Having said that, there are films that I, as a member of the audience, would prefer watching in the comfort of my home, and Family Pack, I believe is one such. This is a film that everyone can sit back and enjoy. It’s a fun roller-coaster ride,” she says, adding, “The clincher for me to take up this project was that it is a PRK Production; who wouldn’t like an opportunity to work in a film by the late Puneeth Rajkumar’s banner?”

How involved was Puneeth in the making? “Puneeth sir was a very hands-on producer and involved himself extensively in the making of Family Pack. In fact, he had visited the set twice. After the first schedule, he watched rushes and gave the team suggestions on what could be done better in terms of the presentation. For instance, he even told us to reshoot several portions, because he believed this was a subject that will work well on OTT. He was very confident about the script and wanted us to go all out in terms of the presentation to perfect it. Eventually, I think we reshot about 60-70% of the film. Sir visited us a second time too, and now, looking back, while I am sad that I did not get to work with him, I had the opportunity to be a part of one of his productions. I got to meet him twice, which is an unforgettable memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” says Amrutha.

The film, a comedy romance drama, sees Amrutha play Likith’s love interest. “Family Pack is an out-and-out family entertainer, in which I’ve got a role that I’ve not done before. The story revolves around Likith’s character, who comes from a broken family and is disillusioned with life. But then he takes a shine to me and attempts to woo me with the help of a friendly ghost played by Rangayana Raghu sir. The rest of the story revolves around how that pans out,” explains Amrutha.

After Family Pack, the actress has two other films lined up for release. “There’s Window Seat, directed by Sheetal Shetty, in which I join Nirup Bhandari and Sanjana Anand in the lead. I have also done a Kannada remake of a Malayalam film by KM Chaitanya, produced by actress Ann Augustine, which stars Likith again,” she signs off.