When Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu was released in 2009, nobody expected the film based on the ancient rural sport kabaddi to become a major hit in Tamil. It has naturally kindled a lot of expectations as the Telugu version, Bhimili Kabaddi Jattu , is being made under the Megaa Super Good Films banner.
Like cricket in Aamir Khan's Lagaan , hockey in Shah Rukh Khan's Chak De India and kabaddi in Mahesh Babu's Okkadu and Jagapati Babu's Kabaddi Kabaddi , the sport not only forms the lifeline of the film, but also adds to its emotional quotient. The local youth trying to regain the fame of their town, known once for reigning supreme in the arena of kabaddi, forms the plot, which is, of course, interspersed with love and comedy. The film shoots a question straight to the rural youth – why bask in past glory without evincing interest in the sport? Though the film has Bhimili (Visakhapatnam district) as its backdrop, it was shot in Hyderabad, Rajahmundry and surroundings. The shooting and dubbing parts are over and re-recording is currently on.
After Ashta Chamma and Ride , this is the third film with Nani as the hero, while Saranya Mohan ( Villagelo Vinayakudu fame) is cast opposite him. The film is presented by R.B. Choudary and produced by Paras Jain and N.V. Prasad. “We have confidence that the film will fare exceedingly well and become the greatest hit of the forthcoming summer season. Not just peripheral love where the lead pair runs around the trees, this is a real feel-good love story with a lot of depth,” says Jain.
Tatineni Satya makes his debut as director and Selva Ganesh is introduced in Telugu as the music director. “We had apprehensions about the young chaps, but they did an excellent job”, says the co-producer Prasad.
The audio release is expected by this month-end.
