Sudheer Babu, the Telugu actor and sportsperson, is collaborating with filmmaker Mohankrishna Indraganti for their third film, the duo announced on social media on Monday. The film will also star Krithi Shetty, Avasarala Srinivas and Vennela Kishore.
The untitled film is a romantic drama written by Mohankrishna.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Mohankrishna said, “We will be commencing shooting from March and we are looking to finish it in one schedule and end it by May. I always like to shoot in natural locations instead of sets, so we are looking to shoot them in such locations in Hyderabad, also keeping the [Covid-19] pandemic in mind. We are looking to reveal the title of the film by mid-February.”
Calling the film a coming-of-age drama, Mohankrishna said that the film follows Sudheer’s character who discovers another side of himself after he falls in love with Shetty’s character. “Being a mature guy but arrogant and self-centered, he discovers what his strengths and weaknesses are through the process of falling in love. Love is the core concept of the film,” he said.
On Monday, the film’s team held a pooja ceremony in Hyderabad to mark the launch of the venture. The event was attended by filmmaker VV Vinayak, Y Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers, director Venky Kudumula, and film producer Dil Raju.
The first step towards our Dreams Begins today with a Formal Pooja Ceremony ✨
Our heartfelt thanks to honourable guests @DilRajuofficial, #VVVinayakGaru, @VenkyKudumula, RaviShankar (Mythri) @Sri_Avasarala, and everyone for your best wishes & blessings. pic.twitter.com/m4BwteSfI9
— Benchmark Studios (@benchmarkstudi5) January 4, 2021
Previously, Sudheer and Mohankrishna collaborated for the 2018 Telugu romantic drama Sammohanam, which marked actor Aditi Rao Hydari’s debut in Telugu films, and the 2020 action thriller film V, starring Nani that released on an OTT platform.
“I admire his [Sudheer] acting style. I have done Sammohanam, which is a love story and V, which is an action film with him. I think he is an underrated actor in the Telugu film industry. He does not do over the top acting, which I like and think suits this story very well. He is a versatile actor and I am always surprised why he does not get many opportunities and is under-utilised in this industry,” Mohankrishna said.
Talking about Shetty’s character, Mohankrishna said that her character was as important as Sudheer’s. “Krithi has got huge screen space in the film. It is through her character that Sudheer’s will develop, and she acts as a lens through which the hero sees himself. They both are the protagonists, though the story is from the point of view of Sudheer’s.”
“It is not a feel-good film. I want the audience to be affected by the emotions shown in the film while they walk out after seeing it,” the filmmaker added.
Recommended
The film will be jointly produced by B Mahendra Babu and Kiran Ballapalli, while Gajulapalle Sudheer Babu will be presenting the film as the first project under the Benchmark Studios banner.
While Vivek Sagar will compose music, cinematography will be handled by PG Vinda. Raveendar is the film’s art director and Marthand K Venkatesh is the editor. Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry and Rama Jogayya Sastry will be penning the lyrics.
Shetty and Sudheer are also starring in the upcoming Telugu film Uppena.
Besides this film, Sudheer will also be seen in the upcoming film Sridevi Soda Center, and a biopic on former badminton player Pullela Gopichand. Sudheer, a former badminton player, will be seen in the biopic directed by Praveen Sattaru which will be a Telugu-Hindi bilingual film.