Paparao Biyyala becomes the first Indian filmmaker to bag the official rights of 'The Sound of Music'

58 years after the iconic, Oscar award-winning and only official film adaptation of the classic musical play ‘The Sound of Music’, an Indian IAS officer turned filmmaker Paparao Biyyala is gearing for the release of his debut film ‘Music School, which marks to be the the first Indian film to obtain the rights of the classical play.

The timeless classic broadway production ‘The Sound of Music’ written and composed by Rodgers, and Hammerstien in 1959, has been etched in the history of popular culture ever since. Over a decade later, Robert Wise presented the first film adaptation of the musical with the same name in 1965 and won five academy awards. 

Almost six decades later, writer- Director Paparao Biyyala has obtaining the official rights of the music for the broadway musical for his debut film “Music School’. 

Recreating three  songs from the musical- Do Re Mi, So Long Farewell  and Sixteen Going on Seventeen beautifully woven for different situations in the film Music School, Music  maestro Ilaiyaraaja scored the original musical notes by Richard Rodgers by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for their film.

Getting the best team on board, Music School roped in Hollywood choreographer Adam Murray to choreograph multiple songs for the multi-lingual film Music School, in addition, the makers also roped two of India’s best choreographers Chinni Prakash and Raju Sundaram for the film to choreograph the other songs. 

Music School is a musical narration of the sensitive and prevailing concern of academic pressure subjected to young students by the society, parents and teachers. With eleven songs in the film, three of them have been recreated from The Sound of Music, situationally woven beautifully in the film to suit the sensibilities of the Indian audience. 

The grandeur look of the film was captured by ace cinemotographer Kiran Deohans. The cast includes Shriya Saran, Sharman Joshi and Prakash Raj in leading roles in addition to debutant Ozu Barua and Gracy Goswamy in critical roles. Other cast comprises of Benjamin Gilani, Suhasini Mulay, Mona Ambeognkar, Leela Samson, Bugs Bhargava, Vinay Varma, Sreekanth Iyengar, Vaquar Sheikh, Phani and many other child actors. 

Presented by Yamini Films, Hyderabad, this multi-lingual  film is shot in Hindi and Telugu, and dubbed in Tamil. It is releasing on 12th May 2023 by PVR in Hindi - Tamil and Dil Raju in Telugu.