1945, starring Rana Daggubati and Regina Cassandra in the lead roles, is a Telugu-Tamil bilingual period drama set in Burma during the Indian Independence struggle, director Sathyasiva tells Silverscreen India.
Backed by SN Rajarajan under the K Productions banner, 1945 is hitting the big screens on Friday after a long delay. The film’s release was delayed due to financial differences between the producer and Rana, says Sathyasiva.
“It is primarily a fictional love story which uses the real events that took place during 1945 as a backdrop,” the director explains, adding that this includes how the people of Burma wanted to form the Indian National Army with Subhash Chandra Bose.
Rana plays an INA soldier who is also the son of a business tycoon, while Regina essays a Tamilian settled in Burma. Apart from the lead pair, cast also comprises Sathyaraj, Nassar, and Kaali Venkat, among others. Sathyaraj plays an aide to Subhash Chandra Bose, and Nasser essays a Tamilian businessman in Burma, the director reveals.
Filming began in 2016 and was completed in 2018. Locations included Cochin, Sri Lanka, and Chennai. With cinematographer Sathya Ponmar helming the camera, 1945 was shot separately in Telugu and Tamil. Actor Sathyagiri reprises Kaali Venkat’s character in Telugu.
The music is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and the film features two songs out of the four in the album.
Edited by Gopikrishna, 1945 has a runtime of two hours.
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“It was originally supposed to be released only in Telugu for now, with the Tamil version arriving later, due to the 50% occupancy restriction in Tamil Nadu. However, we decided to go ahead with a simultaneous release,” says Sathyasiva. “In Tamil Nadu, the film will be released in about 200-250 theatres, while the Telugu states will get a wider release.”
The filmmaker further adds that 1945 will have a digital premiere after its theatrical run, but the OTT platform it will arrive on is yet to be confirmed.