Sundeep Kishan says that his upcoming film Okka Ammayi Thappa, directed by Rajasimha, is the most difficult film in his six-year acting career.
“Rajasimha had narrated the story to me in December 2012. Since then he had approached many producers and had even shelved the project for a while. But in the end the project came to me again. From day one of shooting till it completed, we faced many difficulties.
“Some producers rejected it when we told them that we needed 400 vehicles and 1,000 junior artistes, because the story revolves around a traffic jam on a flyover,” he adds.
There was also the problem of getting permission to shoot on a flyover. “We would get only a few days’ permission to shoot, and only at night. So we convinced the producer that we could do it with computer graphics (CG) and erected a big set of a flyover. Apart from this, I sacrificed my remuneration because I loved the subject. Sometimes one has to take risks to attempt new subjects,” he says, adding, “I didn’t take any remuneration and told the producer to pay me if he made profits.”
The story is about a bomb under a Hitec City flyover, which is blocked with traffic. “Lovers Krishna Vachan and Satya Bhama reach the flyover, but they don’t know about the bomb. It’s an interesting story with romance, thrills and loads of entertainment,” says Sundeep. Nithya Menon is the female lead opposite Sundeep.
When Rajasimha had narrated the story in 2012, they had the Begumpet flyover in mind. “This time, we shifted to Hitec City as it was apt for the story. That was the only change in the story in four years,” he says.
When asked, Sundeep denies that the story is an adaptation of the Hollywood film Phone Booth. “Even I have heard about it, but it is a straight narrative by Rajasimha,” he says.
A few scenes were shot on the original flyover, but most of it was shot on the sets. “I spent some time at the flyover to get into the character. I rode a bike and went around all the places under the flyover,” he says.
Sundeep says that he expected his last film Run to be a flop. “I knew it before it released, and I feel bad for producer Anil Sunkara. I treat him like God and I felt bad for him when the film did not do well,” he adds.
His next film is with director Krishna Vamsi. “I want to complete Krishna Vamsi’s film in one stretch, so I waited for this film’s release. I am a big fan of his and I am waiting to join the shoot,” he says.
“I wanted to send a message to Krishna Vamshi on Facebook. Then I found a message which I had sent him six years back. I had written: ‘sir I am a big fan of yours, I want to meet you and take a photo’. I laughed at myself when I saw the message and even shared it with Sir. Life has come full circle and today, I am doing a film with him,” says Sundeep.
“I am passionate about films and I try to give my best. I know there are ups and downs, but I am confident and strong to get over hurdles,” he says.
