The casting coup, of bringing together Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan, happened as the script of Acharya developed. Director Koratala Siva initially intended the film to have Chiranjeevi playing the central character. As he worked on the story, the scope for another strong male character emerged. Ram Charan, enthused with the story, agreed to come on board.
Taking time out for this interview prior to the film’s release, Koratala Siva states that he was keen to see the father-son duo enact two pivotal characters that embark on different journeys to arrive at a similar destination: “Chiranjeevi garu’s character is aggressive while Charan’s character, Siddha, is calm on the surface and strong at heart. Siddha is a boy from a gurukul and Charan was apt to portray the serene demeanour. It is interesting to see how the two characters bond and their connection to Dharmasthali.”
The temple town
Dharmasthali is a fictional temple town built for the film, spread over 20 acres near Kokapet on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Production designer Suresh Selvarajan, who hails from Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, visited different temple towns to understand the milieu, before giving wings to his imagination. Then, Suresh and Koratala Siva developed a road map for Dharmasthali.
Director Koratala Siva | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Koratala Siva reveals that in the film, the temple dates back to 800 years ago: “People in a village built a temple (with the ammavaru or goddess as the deity) and over the years, a township developed around it. We wanted a true-to-reality look for the agraharam and other areas; nothing artificial. Cinematographer S Thirunavukkarasu (or Tirru, as he is referred to in film circles) made Dharmasthali appear surreal on screen.”
The director and Tirru wanted a distinct colour palette with the black stone of the temple contrasted by vermillion reds: “We used a lot of kumkum red in the temple town and incidentally, it also accentuated the Naxal flag.”
An aerial view of Dharmasthali, constructed by production designer Suresh Selvarajan and team, as shown in a video released by the film team
Contrasting ideologies
The communist ideology and Naxalism, says the director, serves to highlight that Chiranjeevi’s character is aggressive and contrasts him with the gurukul-bred Siddha: “The story does not delve deep into Naxalism or communist ideologies.”
Koratala Siva explains that Chiranjeevi’s character is nicknamed ‘acharya’ since he metes out tough lessons to wrongdoers: “He is not a typical guru. But he teaches people lessons in a tough manner; hence they call him acharya.”
The director’s earlier films Mirchi, Srimanthudu, Janatha Garage and Bharat Ane Nenu were mainstream outings with A-list stars, with the story also addressing an issue — adopting a village, governance, environment… However, Koratala Siva asserts that his primary intention is to make an entertaining film. The messaging is a byproduct: “When the budget of a film is high, my focus is on making it appealing and profitable. I try to weave in social issues without being preachy.”
Chiranjeevi in ‘Acharya’
In sync
While filming Acharya, Koratala Siva was witness to the process of Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan towards their craft. “Chiranjeevi garu comes with vast experience, while Charan comes to the sets like a blank slate and is eager to absorb what is required for the film and his character. There was an important scene for which they rehearsed to get the vibe and the timing right; it was a treat to watch them.”
When the two actors danced together for the now popular ‘Bhale Banjara’ song, several members of the Telugu film fraternity turned up to watch. Koratala Siva credits the actors for making it look so easy despite the high-pressure situation: “We were all delighted to watch them dance. The pressure was on them to perform in front of so many people.”
Ram Charan in ‘Acharya’
Koratala Siva’s brief to choreographer Shekhar master was to make the dance number celebratory, as warranted by the script: “He knew their body language and nuances they bring to dance and choreographed accordingly. This dance number is about making the viewers feel the celebratory mood rather than just watching two good dancers getting their steps right.”
In his formative years, Koratala Siva remembers watching a variety of films but developing a greater affinity for mainstream commercial cinema. “Everyone goes through so much in real life, so when they come to watch a movie, I want them to be entertained. I entered the cinema intending to narrate larger than life stories with an element of fantasy, and not everyday tales.”
Before taking the plunge to write and later direct films, he worked in the IT sector for two years, to ensure financial stability for his family. But the lure of cinema was hard to let go of: “My mind was in cinema; so I could not have continued to do a balancing act between my IT career and writing for films. I decided to quit my job and take the risk.” After writing for films since the early 2000s, he made his directorial debut with the Prabhas-starrer Mirchi (2013).
Next up is a project starring NTR: “We are planning the film on a large canvas and the story is powered by huge emotions. Since we have an intense actor, we want to make the best of it and reach a large audience.”
