Thimmarusu, the upcoming Telugu film starring actor Satya Dev in the lead role, will be the first film to release in theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana after they reopen following the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The film is slated to hit theatres on July 30.
Directed by filmmaker Sharan Koppisetty, Thimmarusu is produced by Mahesh Sa Koneru and Yarabolu Srujan under East Coast Productions and S Originals.
In a conversation with Silverscreen India, Koppisetty, who made his debut with the 2018 romantic comedy Kirrak Party, said that the title of his upcoming film is taken from the name of Timmarusu, the prime minister of the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya.
“Timmarusu served as one of the pillars of strength of the king, who considered him a fatherly figure. It was during his time that the king expanded his empire. However, later, they had a fallout and Krishnadevaraya tortured Timmarusu. This resulted in the downfall of the king. Until his death, Timmarusu fought for the truth and was honest. In a similar fashion, my film’s protagonist Ram Chandra (Satya Dev) is a lawyer who fights for justice and is not behind money. His character resembles that of Timmarusu. Hence the title of the film.”
Calling the film an investigative thriller, the director added that the plot primarily revolves around the lawyer, who uses his personal money to take up cases and bring justice to his clients. “He gets involved in the investigation following the murder of a cab driver, and the rest of the film follows his pursuit of the truth,” Koppisetty added.
The filmmaker said that his script was inspired by the 2007 South Korean film New Trial, which has the same premise.
The film was shot in Hyderabad in a 40-day schedule from November 2020 to January 2021. Calling it a “real challenge” to shoot amid a pandemic, Koppisetty recalled one of the most difficult sequences they filmed. “We shot at Mozamjahi Market with 200 junior artists. It was the climax sequence and we had to keep the Covid protocols in mind. The shoot went on for about two days and it was the toughest to execute.”
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Besides Satya Dev, the film features Priyanka Jawalkar as the female lead, Ajay as an inspector, and Brahmaji as the protagonist’s associate lawyer.
The post-production work is nearing completion and the runtime, as of now, stands at 120 minutes.
While Thimmarusu features no songs, a promotional song was recorded for the film. This song and the film’s background score are both composed by Sricharan Pakala.
Speaking about the release of Thimmarusu, the director said, “We were supposed to release the film in May, but it got postponed due to the second wave of the pandemic. In between, we did get OTT offers, but we chose to wait for theatres to reopen to give audience a theatrical experience, keeping in mind the aspect ratio and the sound designing we did.”