'Virgin Story' is slated to be released in theatres on February 18. Starring Vikram Sahidev as the new hero and Soumika Paniyan as the female lead, it is written and directed by Pradip B Atluri. The film is produced by Sirisha Lagadapati and Sridhar Lagadapati.
In this interview, Sridhar talks about the film and why youngsters and parents should watch it.
Why have I done a subject like this? I have made both family movies and mass entertainers. We are now living in the OTT era. Telugu films haven't touched upon the sub-genre that caters to the sensibilities of the 16-25 age group audience.
'Virgin Story' is not an adult comedy. It is a mature take on romance. Parents who are young at heart will also find a lot of scenes meaningful. Most of the kids have doubts about relationships. They are doing well in studies. They are clueless about issues such as romance. I have seen my sons, who have been into relationships. If there is a balance between relationships and studies, youngsters will stay happy. We need to understand their mindsets. They expect romance in their lives. If there is romance, dopamine chemical gets released in the body. 'Virgin Story' talks about the need to do it in a harmless way. They should stay within limits. They shouldn't cross the borders. That's what our film talks about.
Our film also touches upon the need to avoid bad company. 'Virgin Story' is about cracking the formula of discovering true love. There is a tongue-twisting answer in the climax.
The story is fresh. It's like a virgin. 'Kothaga Rekkalochena' is the caption for a reason. The confusions of youngsters, their decisions, ambivalent thinking... the film raises all issues. These days, youngsters, as well as middle-aged people, want to experiment. Why do we visit pubs? Obviously, we want to be adventurous.
Our film asks us not to break the heart of a girl. It doesn't propagate an exploitative casual relationship between a girl and a boy. Vikram (my son) has played an independent, responsible college drop-out. He is an underdog who is not over-confident.
I received a bound script from the director. I could say yes in two minutes flat. Such a thing had happened with the movie 'Style'. I asked the team of that film to start the shoot the next day.
Most rom-com films have been about marriage, parental resentment against love, etc. 'Virgin Story' has got a different story arc. The film reflects the thinking of the age group in a realistic fashion. Marriage is not the end of love. Romance has to be kept alive even after marriage. This film taps into the situations to generate a comedy of errors. Romance is a vast syllabus. If a girl tells a guy that he is so cute, his thinking goes in one direction. If a girl tells him he is so sweet, his thinking goes in another director.
'Virgin Story' caters to youngsters. During the pandemic, mostly youngsters are watching movies in theatres. This is not a larger-than-life movie.
My son Vikram felt that he should debut with this film. He has his own sense of judgment. He likes to define his own path. Depending on how the audience receives him after this film, he will plan his future projects.
Coming to the songs in the movie, the songs take the story forward. Feelings that go unexpressed by the lead pair find a voice through the songs. Every word is about their feelings. 'Virgin Story' has got fusion music. It's a uber-urban movie that is going to have a long shelf-life. It's a fresh story.
K Raghavendra Rao garu has liked the title. He asked me to highlight the title. He is 75 and the title has struck a chord with him. I am very happy.
