Debutant director Kiran Reddy is gearing up for the release of 'Gatham', on November 6, on Amazon Prime Video. Ahead of the release of the psychological thriller, Ragalahari has interacted with the film's main actors - Bhargava Poludasu, Rakesh Galebhe and Poojitha Kuraparthi. Find out what they have to say about the emotional roller-coaster ride that 'Gatham' is:
Bhargava Poludasu:
I come from an IT background and hail from Vizag in Andhra Pradesh. I work for Google in the US. It took two years to complete 'Gatham'. I have known director Kiran (Reddy) since 2015. We collaborated on this project by setting up a production house with Harsha.
When we did a web-series years ago, we felt we should graduate to the level of a feature film. Kiran's forte is script-writing. After we completed the script, we approached our friends and families for funding. Over 100 people have helped us.
The first schedule gave us the confidence that we have something big on our hands. We felt we are doing a unique film and started making the project bigger.
We are small-time filmmakers who have got no backing. We got Sricharan Pakala (music director) on board with the conviction that thrillers are enlivened by the right background score.
The trailer has raised the curiosity of the audience. It's thrilling and is also an emotional roller-coaster. The audience will invest in the story because of how the characters are established in the first 10-15 minutes. The characters evoke emotions like disgust in the audience.
We focused on the end product and gave our best. It's all about making the best product for the audience. What might follow after this film is just a by-product.
OTT is a valid channel. Audiences are getting used to watching movies on Amazon Prime and Netflix. OTT is the only platform where new talents can find a voice.
Rakesh Galebhe:
I work for the Federal Bank in the US as a software engineer. I hail from Hyderabad and have acted in about 20 short films so far. I came to the US to pursue Masters years ago. I am a fan of Pawan Kalyan. I share a strong rapport with my mother.
I gained confidence that I could pull off my character in 'Gatham' after participating in workshops.
It's the story that picked us, it's not the other way round. Choosing a thriller as a debut happened organically. The entire shoot was completed in 2018 and 2019. During the pandemic, only post-production works were carried out. We are extremely happy with the way the film has shaped up. It made us forget all the travails we had to go through in making 'Gatham'.
I am looking forward to doing good films and a variety of stories. There is a lot to be explored. Tollywood has got so many talented directors.
By the time I met Kiran, he had completed a demo shoot of the story he had in his mind. It felt completely refreshing. I felt that it would become a new-age thriller if made into a feature film. We are confident that 'Gatham' will make wonders for us.
Acting has consistently interested me since the time I started doing short films, most of which are rom-coms.
Pujitha Kuraparthi:
I have been an architect and a movie buff, who completed an acting course in Hollywood. It was like working with family on 'Gatham'. They all helped me get through difficulties. I faced a few challenges due to the extreme weather conditions during the shoot.
Besides the three main characters in the trailer, you will see a lot of other characters in the story. A few of them will leave an everlasting impression.
We all have dubbed on our own for our respective characters.
