80% of ‘Nagabandham’ Budget Went into Sets & VFX, Sequel Already Planned: Director Abhishek Nama

July 2, 2026 Published by rajeshe092eb6a68

Director Abhishek Nama has revealed several interesting details about his upcoming epic fantasy adventure Nagabandham – The Secret Treasure, starring Virat Karna in the lead role. Produced by Kishore Annapureddy and Nishita Nagireddy under the NIK Studios banner, the film is set for a worldwide theatrical release on July 3.

Speaking at a press meet ahead of the release, Abhishek Nama said the idea for Nagabandham was inspired by the mystery surrounding Vault B of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

“There has always been curiosity about why Vault B has never been opened and what could be inside it. That thought inspired me to create a fictional treasure hunt story using that mystery as the backdrop,” he said, clarifying that the temple shown in the film is entirely fictional and not a representation of the real Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

The filmmaker said he never had a particular actor in mind while writing the script. “My focus was only on telling a compelling story. Once the script was completed, we chose Virat Karna because he suited the character perfectly. Since the film is story-driven, introducing a fresh face worked in its favour.”

Abhishek also explained why he decided to direct the film himself.

“This was a story I had visualised in great detail. I felt I should direct it myself to bring that vision to life. We completed the film in just 107 days as planned, and every major concept in the film was personally designed by me.”

Talking about recreating the temple, the director revealed that the team visited the Padmanabhaswamy Temple for research. Since photography was not allowed, they sketched the architecture by hand and later expanded it with cinematic liberty to build the massive set.

One of the biggest highlights of the interaction was the film’s budget. Abhishek disclosed that the production cost grew significantly because of the scale of the sets and visual effects.

“We initially didn’t expect the budget to cross ₹100 crore. We wanted to shoot in real temples, but permissions were difficult to obtain. That forced us to build elaborate sets. We constructed eight massive sets for the film. Around 80% of the budget was spent on production, sets, art direction and CGI, while only 20% went towards remunerations.”

He praised producers Kishore Annapureddy and Nishita Nagireddy for backing the project without compromise.

“They trusted the script completely and never questioned what the film required. I had completed extensive pre-production before they came on board and showed them exactly how the film would look, giving them complete confidence.”

Abhishek described Nagabandham as a fantasy adventure with mythological elements wrapped in a commercial entertainer.

“This is not just mythology. It is a family entertainer with action, adventure and emotions. We were extremely careful with every aspect of the storytelling. The real hero of this film is its story.”

The director also shared encouraging release figures, saying the film has received an excellent response in the Hindi market.

“Nagabandham will release on more than 700 screens in Hindi, over 200 screens in Tamil, and on approximately 2,500 screens worldwide. All our business deals were completed after the teaser and trailer generated an overwhelming response.”

Speaking about the cast, Abhishek said Nabha Natesh plays Nava Parvathi, a Vedic student, and has delivered a remarkable performance. He also praised Jagapathi Babu for shooting demanding underwater night sequences and revealed that Garuda Ram spent hours every day wearing nearly 20 kilograms of prosthetic makeup.

He had special praise for debutant Virat Karna, who performed several challenging action and adventure sequences without body doubles, often shooting shirtless during cold nights.

“I believe this film will earn Virat Karna tremendous recognition.”

The director also applauded music composers Junaid and Abhi, saying that although they are newcomers, they have delivered a grand background score along with commercially appealing songs.

Finally, Abhishek Nama confirmed that a sequel is already on the cards.

“The story has tremendous scope for expansion, and we are already planning Nagabandham 2.”