The title and motion poster of Tatvamasi, the upcoming pan-Indian film starring actors Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Prakash Raj, was released on social media on Thursday.
The film also stars Harish Uthaman and Ishan, who has previously acted in the Telugu-Kannada film Rogue (2017).
Written and directed by debutant filmmaker Ramana Gopisetti, Tatvamasi is produced by Radhakrishna Telu under the banner of Res Entertainment LLP.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Ramana calls it an “intense action crime thriller drama.” Explaining the title, he says, “The title is taken from Sanskrit. It means ‘you are that one’. While tatva means god, masi means you. Tatvamasi is one of the four principle Mahavakyas from the Upanishads (ancient Hindu texts).”
Tatvamasi will be made in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi. “It took off as a bilingual film in Tamil and Telugu. When our producers came on board, they decided to expand it to other languages as well. It will be shot in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi,” adds the filmmaker.
“Varalaxmi was my first choice. I narrated the story to her in June 2020 and she was immediately in. As for Prakash Raj, I have worked with him in many films,” says Ramana, who has previously worked as an associate director on the Tamil films Dhoni (2012) and Gouravam (2013), both produced by Prakash Raj. He has also served as the dialogue writer for Ulavacharu Biryani (2014) and Mana Oori Ramayanam (2016), which starred the actor.
“I have known Harish Uthaman from Gouravam times,” he adds. The 2013 film introduced the actor as the antagonist.
The filmmaker, who began scripting the film during the 2020 Covid lockdown, reveals that it is based on true incidents that happened in his life some years back.
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Tatvamasi is set to go on floors on November 1. Shyam K Naidu and Marthand K Venkatesh will serve as the cinematographer and editor, respectively.
“About 30% of the film is planned to be shot in Ooty, where the story is also set. The majority of the filming will take place in Hyderabad, and the rest will be shot in Delhi and Varanasi,” adds Ramana.
Renowned stunt coordinator Peter Hein has been roped in for the film and the filmmaker notes that the action sequences will form a major part of the film.
Ramana adds that the music composing work is currently underway. Sam CS is the music composer with Chandrabose writing the lyrics.
The makers are planning for a March 2022 release in theatres. “It is a highly technical film, something that has to be watched on the big screen,” the filmmaker explains.