The first look poster of Charitha Kamakshi, the upcoming Telugu film directed by debutant filmmaker Sthreelanka Chandu Saayi, was released by the makers of the film on social media on Wednesday.
Chandu, who previously made the short film Sthreelanka, calls the upcoming film an intense romantic drama.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, the filmmaker reveals that the film is a spin on the Hindu epic Ramayana. “In Charitha Kamakshi, Sita will go in search of Rama. I have reversed the gaze.”
The tweet that revealed the film’s title announcement poster had a few lines in Telugu which, Chandu says, are a reference to Ramayana as well.
Elaborating on the plot of Charitha Kamakshi, the director says the film revolves around the titular character who is from a village and gets married to an aspiring filmmaker. “Shortly after she comes to her mother-in-law’s (Sunitha Manohar) house, her husband lands into trouble. The rest of the film is about how the wife tries to save her husband.”
The filmmaker wrote the story in 2017 as a one-liner and later developed it during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown. “The story is kind of inspired by a true incident from my native place. A person there found his wife cheating on him. This incident made me want to tell a story about a husband’s pain. But, to give it a positive treatment, I have made a few changes to the woman’s character.”
Produced by Rajini Reddy under the Firefly Arts banner, the film stars actors Naveen Bethiganti and Divya Drishti in the lead roles. Both actors have previously played only supporting roles and this is their first film as lead stars. Babloo Prithiveeraj plays an important role, the director addd.
The film went on floors in March in Hyderabad and the shooting is about 90% complete, says Chandu. Rocky Vanamali is the cinematographer.
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Filming, which was halted by the second wave of the pandemic, has been recently resumed and the film is being edited in parallel by Kodati Pavan Kalyan.
Music composer Abu has composed all five songs for the film.
The director says the team is looking to release Charitha Kamakshi on an OTT platform. “We want to release it in September. With big star films still waiting for release, even if theatres open, we may not get screens by then. On the other hand, if we go the OTT route, the producers will get a good price and their business will be saved,” he explains.