Mega hero Sai Dharam Tej will be next seen in the mystic thriller Virupaksha. The movie, written and directed by Karthik Dandu, is all set to release on big screens this Friday. Bheemla Nayak fame Samyukta Menon plays the female lead. Ajaneesh Loknath is composing the tunes. BVSN Prasad is bankrolling the movie under the banners Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra and Sukumar Writings. Ahead of the release, we had a brief interaction with the Supreme hero, and here is the transcript.
Could you elaborate on Virupaksha?
Virupaksha is set during 1989 -1991. The story happens in a village where mysterious deaths take place. How the mystery unravels is what the film is about. More than the horror element, it is about the mystery.
What’s the meaning of the title Virupaksha?
Virupaksha means an eye that doesn’t have a form. So the protagonist fights with something that doesn’t have a form. What is it? What is the reason behind this? These questions will be known after watching the film.
You said that your mother is very proud of you for doing this film. Could you talk about it?
Frankly speaking, I am crossing my fear of doing and seeing a horror film. Therefore my mother is happy. Post the accident, there was uncertainty among everyone if I would return to the films. So Virupaksha is a challenge. My mother has been my biggest support, and she inspired me a lot during the whole process of Virupaksha.
Was there any challenge that you faced to adapt yourself to a film like Virupaksha?
There used to be boundaries back in the 1990s for men to talk to women. So I had to understand the character and learn all those aspects keeping in view the 90s timeframe. So this understanding process took a while.
How was your working experience with director Karthik?
Karthi narrated me the story in 2019. That narration was the best I had in a long time. Last time it was Harish Anna, Anil Ravipudi Anna, and Maruthi Anna who gave the best narration. I feel that Karthik has done a brilliant job with the direction. I didn’t have any doubts about him after I heard the narration.
How’s your rapport with Samyukta Menon?
Samyukta is a very good actress. Now she is addressed as a golden leg. Her thought process and the way she is selecting her films are too good. This aspect I need to learn from her. She is very intelligent and smart.
A few words about PKSDT and future projects.
We didn’t commence the promotions for PKSDT. We are currently concentrating on Virupaksha. We can talk freely about PKSDT later. I will work with a new director named Jayanth shortly.