Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi teaser: Srinivas Avasarala’s film explores the thin line between friendship and love

When Srinivas Avasarala makes a film, you witness his love for the language, taste for humour and poetry within his craft. Though he’s made only two films as a director, Oohalu Gusagusalade and Jyo Achyutananda, they’ve aged well with time, winning over audiences on television and OTT. His third directorial effort, Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi, is gearing up for a release in a few weeks.

Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi is also his third film with his lucky mascot Naga Shaurya, while it features Malvika Nair as the female lead. The romance revolves around two teenage sweethearts whose equation takes interesting twists and turns over a decade. The film’s teaser was launched in the presence of the cast, crew and the makers, People Media Factory and Dasari Productions.

The teaser doesn’t quite reveal much but offers you a glimpse of the film’s breezy, lighthearted vibe. The story is about Sanjay and Anupama, who proclaim to be besties though they realise their deeper connection with time. How do they move past their lull phases? Naga Shaurya and Malvika sport a wide variety of looks to depict the transformation of the characters.

The cinematography is stunning and Kalyani Malik’s stirring score is indeed the soul of the teaser. Srinivas Avasarala also essays a key role in the film. The glimpse underlines the fact that the film has its heart at the right place despite the premise not offering anything beyond the obvious. Megha Chowdhury, Ashok Kumar, Abhishek Maharshi, Srividhya, Varanasi Soumya Chalamcharla, Harini Rao, Arjun Prasad too essay key roles.

Sunil Kumar Nama cranks the camera for the film edited by Kiran Ganti while Azmat Ansari, John Murphy, Ramakrishna are the art directors. Bhaskarabhatla, Lakshmi Bhupala, Kittu Vissapragada are the lyricists, with Raghu, Yash, Riyaz, Chau and Gule choreographing the numbers. The film is expected to release this February or early March.