Raju Gari Ammayi Naidu Gari Abbayi, a rural entertainer, is all set to hit screens across Telugu states on March 9. Actor Ravi Teja Nunna, who is also one of the co-producers, is making his debut with this film alongside popular Hindi serial actress Neha Jurel in the film directed by Satya Raj. Produced by Kumari Nunna and Mutyala Ram Das under Venkata Siva Sai Films and Tanvika and Mokshika Creations, it is presented by Manikonda Ranjith and has music by Roshan Saluri, son of popular composer Koti.
Raju Gari Ammayi Naidu Gari Abbayi unfolds in an idyllic village revolving around a happy-go-lucky, free-spirited youngster who falls for a feisty woman. However, rural factions threaten their future together. Suddenly, all fingers point towards the protagonist for the murder of a woman. How far will the protagonist go to prove his innocence? The film promises to be a colourful blend of romance, action, humour, and thrills.
Ahead of the release, Hero Ravi Teja Nunna director Satya Raj spoke to the media about the film.
Excerpts:
Hero Ravi Teja Nunna : I have been trying to get into acting for a while. I did a movie in Tamil as well, but it has yet to be released. Since Satya knew about my aspirations for acting, he made me listen to the tunes first. I later heard the story. Since this is the first film, I wasn’t sure if the audience would accept me in an action film, and since Raju Gari Ammayi and Naidu Gari Abbayi is thriller-related subject, I felt it was safe for my debut as a lead actor.
• I am also one of the producers. However, the budget increased by 25 percent from what we initially planned. Ram garu helped us a lot at that time.
• I didn’t take acting courses anywhere. I only learned the basics. But the influence of Chiranjeevi Garu was a lot on me. In fact, even in this movie, during songs, the crew would laugh at why Chiranjeevi had come into me.
Director Satya Raj : I belong to Amalapuram. Many movies were shot in Amalapuram. Inspired by that, I entered the direction. Raju Gari Ammayi, Naidu Gari Abbayi is an intentional story between two families, and we chose this title based on the story and not to represent any caste.
* Ravi Teja Nunna has been my friend for a long time. When I told this story to him, he liked it and immediately said yes. I felt that, given the nature of the story, Ravi Teja would be apt to play the lead role, as I needed a fresh face to play that part.
• This is a love-and-crime thriller. No one has so far made this kind of movie against the backdrop of East Godavari. So along with showing the beauty of the area, we also have a cute love story with a crime element. When I was travelling from Kerala once, I heard about people discussing a real-life story, and I found it interesting. Since I belong to Amalapuram, I drafted the story that best suits my nativity.
• If you watch the trailer, you will know that this is a thriller film. We haven’t revealed our main twist yet, which we want to do in theatres only, although the posters promote it as a love story. We wanted to keep the surprise element, so that’s why we are not revealing some key details, be they posters, trailers, or teasers.
• The movie would’ve gotten an A certificate, but the censor board suggested some minute changes, and after that, we got an U/A. There is romance, crime in this film. The romantic song in this movie is very important. She dies, and the story after that is key to the whole story. This movie has a lot of romance. If it was just the love aspect, I would’ve gone for a Telugu girl only, but there’s more to this story. She gave a superb performance.
• The movie is produced by Kumari Nunna and Mutyala Ram Das under Venkata Siva Sai Films and Tanvika and Mokshika Creations. If the movie was made this well today, it is only because of them. Mutyala Ram Garu helped us make this movie the way it has come out now. I am completely satisfied with the overall output.
Satya and Ravi Teja: Roshan’s music was excellent. His music was on par with Mani Sharma’s music. We even discussed this with him. He gave 10 times more than our expectations.