Sivaji Ganesan. Rajkumar. Vyjayanthimala. Rajinikanth. Kamal Haasan. These are some of the legends that one of the oldest production houses in India - AVM Productions – introduced to the world of cinema. When A.V. Meiyappan started this company in 1945, it came out of a passion for cinema rather than just a business. Today, AVM Productions has embraced the wave of change, and from films and television is stepping into the world of OTT with Aruna and Aparna Guhan, the great granddaughters of A.V. Meiyappan, at the helm.
While other production houses have been quick to jump onto the OTT bandwagon prior to the pandemic, AVM is just releasing its first web series for SonyLIV titled Tamil Rockerz directed by Arivazhagan and starring Arun Vijay, Vani Bhojan, Iswarya Menon, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan and M.S. Bhaskar.
Aruna Guhan, partner and creative director, AVM Productions, says, “I started talking to the early networks around 2018. For a production house like ours who have spent decades making films, there is a learning curve in terms of processes, and at that time, not many people in the film industry were prepared in terms of writing for OTT.”
The story that caught their attention for Tamil Rockerz revolves around the world of piracy.
“Piracy is an issue that plagues the entire entertainment industry,” Aruna says. “In the Tamil industry itself, there are about five lakh people who rely on the entertainment industry for their livelihoods and it affects all of us. We have a responsibility while making content for the audience but we are also in a position where we can share such information with them and we wanted to do it right,” she adds.
When A.V.M. Meiyappan passed away in 1979, his son A.V.M. Saravanan, who owns AVM Studios, continued the family legacy of film production. His son M.S. Guhan followed in his footsteps and now his twin daughters, Aruna and Aparna, who are also the first women from the AVM family to be involved with the production house, are keeping the flag flying.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be the first women from the AVM family to be in this position," says Aruna. "I know that there’s a huge weight I’m carrying (AVM name), but I look at it as a blessing... Rather than worry about the pressure, I just focus on what we need to do going forward,” adds Aruna.
Growing up around their grandfather and father, who were actively involved in production, Aruna says she and her sister Aparna imbibed a lot of the values that the AVM brand stands for.
Adds Aruna, “While we are moving forward with technology and we want to tell certain stories, forefront in mind everyday is the legacy and the values that underpin the AVM brand. Those are aspects that are being followed since my great-grandfather’s time, like relationships are very key; make sure everyone is paid on time; quality of content. We focus on those values and I am personally very content-focused and director-focused before I step into the next phase.”
The AVM house is known for its superhit films and later television serials, so there's a certain expectation around content on OTT as well. “I think it is an incredible position to be in in this day and age – being the current generation, we know how we consume content and we are actually able to pick the right stories. I want to make intelligent content. For instance, take Schitt’s Creek. It's a comedy but it’s changed the lives of so many people without being preachy, it’s created an inclusive world. That’s important for me personally. I want projects that connect with the audience and should be able to make a difference. Also, out-of-the-box content that challenges the way stories are told,” she says.
Being partners in AVM Productions and twin sisters, Aruna and Aparna have devised a unique method of working together professionally. Aruna has a creative bent while Aparna studied finance but they learnt all the aspects of filmmaking over the last few years to ensure they know the ins and outs. “We work project-wise or network-wise or director-wise. This is easier for the team we interact with and more efficient as well,” Aruna explains.
Now that both Aruna and Aparna have stepped into the world of entertainment, is either of them looking to write and direct a film or series?
“I would love to! I recently realised that the amount of passion I have for the industry and craft is far more than I knew. I’m on set every day and I’m really hands on. I have been writing every day but I don’t want to jump into directing as of yet. I want to soak in as much and when I’m ready for it, definitely!” says Aruna, adding that they are also looking at Telugu content apart from Tamil.
“As for Tamil Rockerz, I’m very excited for its release. We want to show the audience what we are capable of and bring people back into the AVM family,” says Aruna.
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