Niharika on film production and quality content

Niharika Konidela who launched her production house Pink Elephant Pictures, shared her dreams as she completed a decade long journey.

She said "It feels great. If I have to put it simply, I feel like I’m doing something right, and that motivates me to keep going. When I look back at the past decade, I feel proud of the journey. There were many learning experiences, and every project helped me understand the craft and the industry better."

Recollecting her journey, she shared "I didn’t start films at 21, but I did start producing around that age. Initially, I began with a YouTube series because OTT platforms weren’t really available then. It was driven purely by enthusiasm. I wanted to create something fun, something relatable. A group of friends and I wrote a script and developed it together. We felt it was interesting enough to make into a project. When we realized we needed money to produce it, I thought of investing some of my savings. I didn’t think of it as producing; I simply wanted to make the project happen."

On taking advices from her father, Naga Babu, who is a producer himself, she added "Yes, especially when it comes to scripts. If I need a second opinion, the first person I go to is my father. However, the final decisions are mine. My father doesn’t impose advice. He simply trusts that I know what I’m doing. He often jokes that I’m a better producer than he was, and that means a lot to me because he produced some fantastic films in his time. His first production was Rudraveena, an extraordinary film that won multiple national awards. Even today, when people watch it, they are amazed by how progressive its story was for that era. Whenever I watch that film, I wonder how they had the courage to produce such a serious subject during a time dominated by commercial cinema."

On how she selects the scripts, she revealed "I make films that I personally would enjoy watching. When I go to a theater, I’m not watching a film as a critic. I’m watching it as an audience member who wants to forget reality for two hours and get absorbed in another world. If a film’s promotions or trailer excite me, I go watch it. If they don’t reach me as an audience member, I probably won’t. That mindset influences the projects I choose. This film has fantasy, comedy, and drama combined in a fun way, so audiences can expect a very entertaining ride. The biggest factor is my gut feeling. I trust my instincts because Pink Elephant Pictures itself was born from a gut decision. After that initial instinct, we evaluate the film’s commercial viability. Profit matters. I can’t invest huge amounts of money if I’m unsure about recovering it. I want to be both a reliable and a successful producer. Because only then can I continue supporting new filmmakers. Sometimes we reject good scripts simply because the scale is too big for us at that moment. And if those films later become successful, I don’t feel bad. It just means they weren’t meant to happen with us."