Malli Modalaindi, the upcoming Telugu film, stars actors Sumanth and Naina Ganguly in the lead roles. The first look poster of the film was released by the makers on Friday.
Written and directed by filmmaker TG Keerthi Kumar, the film is produced by K Raja Shekhar Reddy and presented by the Red Cinemas banner.
Keerthi Kumar told Silverscreen India that the film is about a man who gets divorced and follows what happens to him in life after the divorce. It is a romantic comedy and family entertainer, he added.
When a photograph of a wedding invite from the film got leaked online, rumours started spreading that a remarriage was on the cards for Sumanth. Quashing these rumours, the actor clarified that the picture was from his upcoming film which revolves around divorce and remarriage. Quoting a tweet from filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma that shared the rumour, Sumanth posted a video on Thursday, in which he said, “I am not getting remarried in real life. However, my next film happens to be about divorce and remarriage, perhaps for the first time in Telugu cinema. A photo of the wedding invitation from our film got leaked, and that probably caused the misunderstanding.”
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Keerthi Kumar said, “The title means ‘once again from the start’. During the lockdown, I read many articles on misunderstandings cropping up among couples living under the same roof and how divorces have become rampant as a result. So, I thought of making a film on divorce.”
“Most films that show couples getting a divorce seldom show the aftermath. So I wanted to tackle that. However, when I spoke to real-life divorcees, they said it is a painful process but requested that I make a film that’s not too serious. Hence, I decided to use a lighter tone and made this family entertainer with a mix of comedy and emotions. Most of the scenes in the film are based on true incidents,” he added.
The director began to script Malli Modalaindi in 2020 and around November that year, he approached Sumanth. “He was my first choice because even in real life, he is a divorcee. After completing the script, I researched about him and his life and found him apt for the story.”
The film went on floors in April and was shot in Hyderabad.
Speaking about the other cast members, the filmmaker said, “There are many women around the protagonist. Suhasini ma’am plays the hero’s mother, while Naina Ganguly is the female lead. We cast the latter through auditions.”
Actors Annapoorna, Vennela Kishore, and Posani Krishna Murali also appear in pivotal roles.
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Keerthi Kumar, who has previously directed the Tamil film Oru Modhal Oru Kadhal (2014), is a Tamilian. Asked about the choice to make a Telugu film, he said, “After the advent of OTT platforms, the language barrier has been broken. Good content matters more than the language. I had about 2-3 scripts during the lockdown and I was pitching them in both the Tamil and Telugu industries. However, I pitched this story only to Sumanth sir.”
The film is currently in the post-production stage. “The music work, editing, and dubbing are going on,” said the director.
Malli Modalaindi has music by Anup Rubens. The album consists of five songs of which three are featured in the film.
“We are looking to release the film either in September or November. But we have not yet decided,” says the director, adding that the makers are looking for a theatrical release, followed by a digital one.