Debutante Nandu Mallela has got no prior experience of working under any director. The son of a farmer, his first film will hit the screens on July 8th.

Speaking about the title justification of 'Rendu Rellu Aaru', he says, "The title is because two people make a decision which affects six lives. It's a film that has family and love at its core. I am a fan of Jandhyala garu".

As a self-taught writer and director, Nandu was inspired to pen the story based on a real-life incident. "I knew a family. Out of four children, three of them died at the age of 33. They had no health issues at all. Somehow, this has stayed in my mind," he avers.

In 'RRA', the lead pair are destined to die. Does it compare with 'Geethanjali', by any stretch of imagination?

"It's an entirely different story. Here, the fathers drive the lives of the lead pair. The story is not from the point of view of hero and heroine. Naresh and Ravi Kale exchange their diseased child for the other one's child, thinking the latter is alright. It's cheating, but they also want to be neighbours. They were selfish when they exchanged the children, but they no longer are. Their wives want the two kids to get married. It's up to the fathers to prevent that from happening, as they know the destiny of their own kid," the director elaborates.

Is it a serious film? "It's an emotional family drama with lots of fun. There is no place for imagination here. It's like a LIVE story happening in your neighbourhood," he says.

The project happened rather unexpectedly. "I met the producer (who later sold it to Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram) and gave him a narration at a tea canteen. After listening to it, he asked me how much advance I would charge. I thought he is a dummy. Next day, he called me up and asked me about having an office for the movie. I have short films to my credit, and have written some small movies. That's all," he reveals.

Sai Korrapati of Vaarahi decided to buy 'RRA' within 10 minutes after watching it. "I strongly wished that to happen and it happened," he says.

Whose decision was it to cast his own brother as hero? "It was the producer's. I honestly didn't want him to be the lead, but the producer felt he should be in. For many days, nobody knew that he is my brother," Nandu shares.

Is the budget modest? "I honestly don't know a thing about the budget. I feel that the story should compensate for any mistakes that a film has," he opines.

"The two families around which the story revolves are both middle-class families. Their conversations are also borne from their status. I myself come from a middle-class family. My father tells me to live life to the fullest," Nandu chips in.

As someone who came to Hyderabad in search of a job, Nandu is now a filmmaker. "I used to go to many producers. But somehow our thoughts wouldn't be compatible. I used to write one thing, they used to ask me for something else," the debutante says.

"I can't make stories that are unrealistic. Gali lo kathalu rayalenu. My films will always have values in them," he signs off.