Sai Rajesh on ‘Chennai Love Story’: ‘Negative Campaigns Couldn’t Stop Our Success’

Filmmaker Sai Rajesh, who has earned acclaim as a writer, director and producer with films like Hrudaya Kaleyam, Kobbarimatta, Colour Photo and Baby, is basking in the success of his latest production Chennai Love Story. The romantic drama, for which he penned the story and co-produced alongside SKN, has crossed the ₹50 crore mark at the box office and is continuing its successful theatrical run in its second week.

Speaking at a media interaction on Wednesday, Sai Rajesh shared several interesting anecdotes about the film, the origin of his former screen name, the social media negativity surrounding the release, and his future aspirations.

Why ‘Steven Shankar’ Became ‘Sai Rajesh’

Sai Rajesh revealed that during Hrudaya Kaleyam and Kobbarimatta, he credited himself as Steven Shankar.

“Steven came from Steven Spielberg and Shankar came from director Shankar. At that time, I wanted a unique identity as a director for publicity. Later, while making Colour Photo, I realised I should continue my career with the name my parents gave me, so I changed my credits back to Sai Rajesh.”

He added that he thought audiences had forgotten the name until they named Kiran Abbavaram’s character ‘Steven Shankar’ in Chennai Love Story.

“Now I think that name will stay with audiences for some more time.”

He Never Planned to Direct Chennai Love Story

According to Sai Rajesh, he never intended to helm the project himself.

“I was busy directing the Hindi remake of Baby, but that project got delayed. At the same time, the music sittings for Chennai Love Story had begun. Since I wanted to continue producing films even if my next directorial was delayed, we launched the project with Ravi as the director.”

Audience Silence During Premieres Made Him Nervous

The filmmaker admitted that watching audience reactions during premiere shows is always an emotional experience.

“During Colour Photo, Baby and Chennai Love Story, there were scenes where we expected audiences to cry, but instead they remained silent because they were shocked. That silence always makes me nervous.”

He added that audiences generally need two or three days to completely absorb emotionally intense films.

On Social Media Negativity

Sai Rajesh revealed that Chennai Love Story faced heavy negative campaigning during its initial days.

“For the first two days, there were claims on social media that people were walking out of theatres. But if audiences had actually rejected the film, it wouldn’t have crossed ₹50 crore.”

He also pointed out that unlike Baby, where certain characters became subjects of debate, Chennai Love Story did not receive major criticism for either Kiran Abbavaram or Gouri’s characters.

Director Ravi Surprised Him

Sai Rajesh praised director Ravi, saying he quickly realised the filmmaker was completely in control.

“Once I saw some of the footage, I felt Ravi didn’t need my involvement as a director. After watching the interval sequence, I genuinely believed he had made the film even better than I would have.”

He also revealed that the makers released the film with complete confidence and that, at least on paper, the project is already in a profitable position.

‘More Satisfying Than Colour Photo and Baby’

Sai Rajesh said that, as a writer, Chennai Love Story has given him even greater satisfaction than his previous acclaimed films.

“From a story perspective, this film satisfies me even more than Colour Photo and Baby. Very few films have attempted this kind of narrative.”

He revealed that several emotional moments in the film are a tribute to Mouna Ragam, adding that such stories can only be written after experiencing pain in real life.

“My own love story had a happy ending, but I have experienced pain too. Except for the final 30 minutes, Colour Photo was almost entirely based on my intermediate college life.”

Sai Rajesh also disclosed that he still has one more love story he dreams of making before exploring other genres.

How the Team Countered Negative Campaigns

Concluding the interaction, Sai Rajesh said the team fought back against online negativity by amplifying genuine audience appreciation.

“Whether it was intentional or not, the film faced heavy negativity online. We responded by aggressively promoting the positive reactions from audiences who loved the film. We worked hard to counter the negativity, and eventually, we succeeded.”

With Chennai Love Story continuing its impressive box office run, Sai Rajesh’s candid comments offer a fascinating glimpse into the creative journey behind one of the year’s biggest romantic dramas.