Sainikudu
Mahesh Babu. Trisha. Harris Jayaraj. Gunasekhar C Aswini Dutt.
Can you get names any bigger than this in Telugu filmdom? We bet, you can't. That is the reason why Sainikudu is tipped to be the biggest blockbuster of the season.
Mahesh Babu coming out of the phenomenal victory of Pokiri is absolutely in a zine of his own.
And with Gunasekhar at helm --- the two had given big hits in the past together (Okkadu, Arjun) ---- the expectation is forever rising.
Producer C Aswini Dutt is a smart cookie. He knows how to back a talented team. He has given the fullest backing to his crew and he has ensured that creatively Sainikudu will be right up there.
Interestingly, it was Aswini Dutt who introduced Mahesh Babu through Rajakumarudu. So the wheel seems to have come a full circle for the enterprising duo.
Mahesh Babu and Trisha had hit it off well with Athadu. So there too the combination is fabulous.
On all counts, Sainikudu points to be a big hit.
As it happens, despite the title Sainikudu, the film has no military subtext. The director's idea is to convey an idea that in these times of strife, every individual is like a Sainikudu (soldier). This idea gets amplified big time in this splendid entertainer.
`It is wholesome and gripping,' sys the director.
Mahesh Babu plays the young man Siddhartha, who rises up to the challenge of every day life.
Gunasekhar hastens to add that the film is not about social messages. `There is a smart and cute love story embroidered into the tapestry,' he points out.
The technical crew of Peter Heins (action), Anand Sai (art) and Balsubramaniam (camera) has put in amazing efforts to make the film a big one.
Anand Sai, for instance, has recreated the Warangal fort. Balasubramaniam went out of the way to can a cyclone shot realistically without the use of graphics and other gimmicks. Peter Heins has put Mahesh through the paces and had him do some fantastic fights.
Trisha's role is not just a cute one. It is very much part of the script.
Irfan Khan, the talented Hindi actor, is the arch villain.
Harris Jayaraj's music is already rocking the State.
Gunasekhar has worked extra hard to get every aspect of the movie to be excellent.
Aswini Dutt hopes to release his prestigious venture in November last week.