Exclusive! Real Star Upendra’s Kabzaa will be a 2022 release, says director R Chandru

Filmmaker R Chandru’s current project is his most ambitious ever. A period underworld subject with Real Star Upendra in the lead, Kabzaa was launched on the actor’s birthday in September 2019 and has had a slow progress since then because the film is being shot at specially-created sets and then, the pandemic. But since 2021, the filmmaker has been working at break-neck speed to get this show on the road.

In fact, at the moment the team is working round-the-clock. “We are about 80% done with the film and are looking at finishing it by the end of April, latest. We are currently shooting at special sets erected across four different floors in Bengaluru and will only be left with a song and the climax, once we are done here. Our final schedule will be at the Ramoji Rao studio in Hyderabad, where we will put up another set shortly,” says Chandru.

Has the filmmaker given release plans any thought? “Honestly, no, but I should have a clearer picture by the end of this schedule. I am quite confident of presenting Kabzaa as a 2022 release. Given the scale of the film and the massive story to be told, Kabzaa is being presented as a two-part tale and the first instalment should be out by the end of the year,” he says. And are there going to be any more additions to the already massive ensemble cast onboard? “Only yesterday we got Murali Sharma and Posani Murali Krishna on board to join our cast that includes Kiccha Sudeep, Shriya Saran, Nawab Shah, Kabir Duhan Singh, Jagapati Babu, Danish Akhtar Saifi, Rahul Dev, Anup Revanna, Pradeep Rawat, among others. The only other addition will be the Bollywood actress who will be seen in a special number that is yet to be shot. I am contractually bound not to disclose anything until after the song has been shot,” he says.