PremiumDirector Raam Ginni: The Trial is inspired by true crime stories, was planned as an OTT release initially
The Trial is a 100-minute long interrogative drama starring Spandana Palli, Yug Ram, Vamsi Kotu
Last Updated: 04.42 PM, Nov 20, 2023
Spandana Palli, Yug Ram, Vamsi Kotu are coming together for an interrogative drama The Trial produced SS Films and Common Man Productions. The film, to release on November 24, marks the directorial debut of Raam Ginni (originally Ramanaidu Ganni). Ahead of its release, the filmmaker interacted with the media.
Origins
I hail from Vizag, I always liked films. I worked as a deputy jailer for a decade but resigned my job for the love of cinema. Surprisingly, I didn’t face any opposition from my family decisions for the decision. I’d assisted Gnana Sagar Dwaraka on Sehari, after which I’d begun writing The Trial. The film totally revolves around an interrogation, a reason why we’ve called it the first-ever Telugu interrogative drama.
The Trial - the premise
The Trial is a product of many crime stories I’ve heard from prisoners for over a decade. The film starts and ends in an interrogation room, is based on true incidents, but it’s a liberal mix of fact and faction. The story takes off with a couple celebrating their anniversary and the husband plans a surprise. However, he jumps off a building and is spot dead. Is it a suicide or a murder? What if his wife is a cop?
‘Was planned as an OTT release initially’
We planned to release the film on OTT initially, but the streamers are insisting we release it in theatres before the digital premiere. Vicharana may have been an apt title for the film, but we went ahead with The Trial. The screenplay structure is similar to Akira Kurosawa’s Roshomon and Adivi Sesh’s Evaru, though the tone and the premise are different.
Final word
We cast Spandana Palli because of her height, audiences need to believe she’s a cop. I was initially working on a web series produced by Virgo Pictures (the banner behind Sehari). When I had time to work on another project before that, The Trial materialised. The film wouldn’t been possible without good technicians - composer, editor. With a runtime under 100 minutes, The Trial will be crisp, racy. Apart from the web show, I’ve written a superhero story.