PremiumHemanth M Rao Exclusive | Tenali with Rakshit Shetty will definitely happen but...
In a conversation with OTTplay, both Hemanth M Rao and Rakshit Shetty open up about the 'mystery' project Tenali they were putting together and whether, or not, it is still on the cards
Last Updated: 09.54 PM, Aug 29, 2023
It is evident from the camaraderie shared by Hemanth M Rao and Rakshit Shetty that the two really enjoy collaborating with one another. The former has revealed in recent interviews that there is a constant exchange of ideas and notes between the two regardless of which project they are on, or who they are working with. At the same time, the two are also dabbling with ideas that they could work on together and one of them is Tenali, an intriguing detective story set during the Indian independence struggle.
In fact, Hemanth and Rakshit had established the "vibe" of the film through a look test whose results were shared way back in 2018. The former, in a series of tweets, had also spoken about getting started on Tenali once he was done with his second directorial, Kavaludaari, but the project was 'back-burnered' for some reason.
"Tenali is an ambitious project"
But when OTTplay recently caught up with the duo, along with Rukmini Vasanth, discussing Tenali turned out to be inevitable. When quizzed about why Sapta Sagaradaache Ello was his follow-up film to Kavaludaari and not Tenali, Hemanth Rao said:
"Tenali is a rather ambitious film and I have always believed that certain stories happen at certain times - it's just how it is. I am not a very big believer in destiny and all that but there were signs around me all the time about how it plays out. And I was like "Oh, maybe there is a big design and I am probably clueless about it" (laughs)".
"No, no. He believes in it (the concept of destiny), just that he's not ready to accept that he does," quips Rakshit, fully amused by his colleague's analysis.
"I am a sceptic at heart," replies Hemanth, justifying his stance.
What were those signs though? "Oh, there were many but I don't want to list them," says the filmmaker.
"Even though he says he is a sceptic at heart, I feel he's a sceptic in his mind. He believes (about the film) in his heart but he feels sceptical in his head," adds Rakshit to keep the conversation going.
"I just feel," says Hemanth in all seriousness, "that Tenali wasn't to be at that point in time. The kind of vision I have for the film and what we had discussed, it's a film that will definitely happen because I am very excited about that character. In fact, in those rare moments when I think of what I will do next, I find myself looking at the Tenali photos."
Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side A on September 1
Hemanth also reveals that he had a conversation with Rakshit Shetty after the release of Avane Srimannarayana that he felt 'right' about Sapta Sagaradaache Ello being his next. "Things just fell into place after that," he says.
Of course, the film is a two-part project whose first instalment, or Side A, arrives in cinemas on September 1. Rakshit Shetty is joined by Rukmini Vasanth with Chaithra J Achar set to join them for Side B, which is scheduled to release on October 20.