Kranthi Madhav on The Naked Truth Behind Dil Diya’s Bold First Look
The tag line “naked truth,” carried by the poster, is not meant to shock for effect. Instead, it signals emotional exposure.
The first look poster of Dil Diya – A Naked Truth has become a talking point on social media. Minimal, unsettling, and quietly confrontational, it’s evident the film is not the familiar hero’s journey. And writer-director K. Kranthi Madhav says that distinction was intentional. “This is not a hero’s story,” he confirms.
At the centre of the film is Vikram— not an idealised protagonist, but a human being shaped by choices, compromises, and contradictions. Kranthi Madhav describes the film as an exploration of how life gradually builds and strips a person down. “As we grow, in our careers and relationships, we commit many things: mistakes, silences, emotional bargains. What happens to Vikram is his life’s naked truth.”
The tag line “naked truth,” carried by the poster, is not meant to shock for effect. Instead, it signals emotional exposure. The film, he explains, confronts what people often avoid acknowledging obsession, failure, intimacy, self-worth, and the quiet consequences of everyday decisions.
Known for emotionally restrained films like ‘Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju’, Kranthi Madhav admits that Dil Diya may appear bolder on the surface, but he sees it as a natural progression rather than a shift. “I don’t think we change as people just because trends change. We evolve, yes, but what we are at the core continues. Even ‘Malli Malli’ was bold in its own way. It believed in a kind of love that real life doesn’t always allow.”
When asked if his bold poster was in line with today’s Tollywood masala trend, he stresses that this film is not shaped by market trends or the current appetite for edgy cinema. “This is just one among many stories I want to tell. It had to be told this way.”
Categorising the film, however, is something he resists. While comparisons to intense love stories are inevitable, he is clear that ‘Dil Diya – A Naked Truth’ does not fit into existing templates. “It’s not like ‘RX 100’, ‘Arjun Reddy’ or any of those films. I would call this a coming-of-age love story — but one that carries its own emotional weight and consequences.”
The film stars Chaitanya Rao Madadi in the role of Vikram — a casting choice driven by instinct rather than familiarity. “I wanted someone without stardom baggage,” Kranthi Madhav says. “Someone hungry. Someone willing to surrender completely.” The actor reportedly underwent a significant physical transformation for the role, shedding weight organically to align with the character’s emotional journey.
The decision to have Sandeep Reddy Vanga release the first-look poster was straightforward. “I had access to him. He liked the poster,” he says.
As for the phrase “new box-office grammar,” the director views it less as a declaration and more as a question. He believes audiences are emotionally ready, not because of changing tastes, but because anyone with a heart can recognise truth when they see it.
