Karthikeya will be seen in Bedurulanka 2012. Directed by debutant Clax, the film is produced by Ravindra Benerjee Muppaneni (Benny) under the banner of Loukya Entertainments. Neha Sshetty is playing the female lead, and Mani Sharma composed the music. Ahead of the release, we had a brief interaction with the director, and here is the transcript.

Could you tell us about your background?

I hail from a village near Bhimavaram. I did many jobs before coming to the film industry. I did a software job and also worked as a salesperson for credit cards. My roommates were film aspirants, and I used to discuss stories with them. I didn’t have that urge to enter the cine field in my childhood. But an Italian movie named Life Is Beautiful had an immense effect on me.

Why did you name the film Bedurulanka 2012?

The entire story happens on a fictional island. We shot the film in a place called Edurulanka. But we had the boards as Beurulanka because the fear aspect plays a key role. We thought of other titles too, but Karthikeya and the producer opined Bedurulanka 2012 would be the right fit.

What’s the film’s story? Is there any inspiration for it?

I like Akira Kurasova’s Seven Samurai. There is a dialogue in it. Why should we worry about what society thinks when there is no future? I decided to make a film on this point, and that is when the Hollywood film named 2012 was released. I wrote a village-based story based on those two films and made a film under the dramedy genre. There will be loads of fun and drama along with an underlying message in Bedurulanka.

How did Karthikeya perform?

He will be seen as a person who defies the village. People will easily believe if we film a shot on him. I just told him one thing. I wanted his body language to be like a dancer and not like a fighter. He performed extremely well.

You said you narrated the story to other heroes as well. How did they react after the trailer was released?

They called me and said it was good. In fact, they, too, liked the film’s plot, but it doesn’t have any mass masala elements. Hence they were skeptical about doing the film. But audiences changed after the lockdown. Even my parents are enjoying Malayalam and other language films. Now everyone are believing that films can be made with these kinds of stories. My producer Benny believed in me from the very beginning.

Who all have watched the film?

Except for the censor board, others haven’t watched the film. They didn’t even ask for a single visual cut and enjoyed the film thoroughly. I am happy with their feedback and waiting to see how the audience will react.