Director Hasith Goli is debuting in films with 'Raja Raja Chora', which will head to the theatres on August 19. In this interview, the filmmaker talks about his background, what makes the Sree Vishnu-starrer unique and more.
I have been interested in literature since childhood. I have acquired this trait from my father, who writes literary blogs to this day. I developed an interest in story-telling. I and Vivek Athreya started doing short films while in college. I had a plum job when I quit it and got into the film industry. 'Mental Madhilo' happened and I joined Vivek's team.
I had worked for Snap Deal in Gurgaon for two years. When I quit my plum job, my mother was worried. But my father was supportive. After watching 'Mental Madhilo', they grew confident in my abilities. I narrated a story to Sree Vishnu garu after 'Mental Madhilo'. Although he liked the story, I myself was not ready to take the plunge. I wanted to learn the nitty-gritty. I then worked in the direction team for 'Brochevarevarura'.
'Raja Raja Chora' happened after 'Brochevarevarura'. I see a lot of potential in grey characters. If it is told in a hilarious way, it can strike. There is drama as well as fun in the movie.
No story can work just because of comedy. I like drama more. So, a comedy-drama is what I have made as my first movie. We refer to the kings by prefixing the moniker 'Raja Raja'... 'Chora' is borrowed from Sanskrit and means thief in English.
There is a mystique in the story. The element is linked to the 'kireetam' that the male protagonist is seen wearing in the posters. Gangavva has played the hero's only friend in the movie. Her portions are hilarious. She was enlisted for the role before Bigg Boss Telugu 4 happened.
We could find the producers more or less easily. But the pandemic delayed things. I didn't take up any other project during the lockdown. We completed the shoot only before the second wave. During the second wave, we worked on the post-production works.
'Raja Raja Chora' doesn't have any explicit message. Being preachy is not a big deal. But we have used humour to generate an implicit message.
