PremiumHemanth M Rao on Sapta Sagaradaache Ello: For Priya I did not audition anyone else, but Surabhi was a different story
Hemanth admits that it took him longer to figure out Surabhi's casting because it was a role that had a sense of mystery to it
Last Updated: 10.01 PM, Nov 14, 2023
When filmmaker Hemanth M Rao wrote the character of Priya in his film Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, the second part of which, Side B, is releasing in theatres on November 17, he had a clear picture of what he was looking for. It is also the role that he spent the least time finalizing. The moment he got mail from Rukmini Vasanth and saw her images, he knew he’d found Priya. All that was remaining was to figure out if she’d deliver what he wanted and if she’d pull off the looks he had in mind for Side A and Side B. When Rukmini ticked all the boxes, Hemanth did not have to audition anyone else.
For the character of Surabhi, though, it was a different story. While he chose Chaithra J Achar for the role eventually, she did not get it immediately and Hemanth kept her waiting for three days before confirming her. Turns out, Hemanth had auditioned several actresses for the role and was dithering, unsure of how to go about it, because unlike the character of Priya that he had utmost clarity, Surabhi was more complex. The character had a certain sense of mystery to her, so Hemanth did not want to constrain her within predefined parameters.
After several auditions, Hemanth had reached a point of frustration at not finding the right person when Chaithra came and gave him her interpretation of the character. In the three days that it then took the filmmaker to revert to her with a positive outcome, he revisited the audition multiple times because he realized that she’d brought a spin to the role that he’d not written. She brought the x-factor that he was looking for.
Side B, meanwhile, is the culmination of the intense love story and picks up 10 years after the events of Side A. The film also stars Achyuth Kumar, Sharath Lohithashwa, Gopalkrishna Deshpande, Ramesh Indira, among others.