Exclusive: Virata Parvam director spills beans on upcoming film, roping in Nandita Das, Priyamani

Rana Daggubati and Sai Pallavi starrer Virata Parvam has been in news since the day the project was announced. With actors like Nandita Das and Priyamani being part of it, expectations from the film have touched the sky. Senior actresses like Zareena Wahab and Easwari Rao are also part of the film. 

There are a lot more interesting things about this film, which have not been revealed until now. In an exclusive interview, director Venu Udugula spills beans on the story, actors, performances and a lot more. 

Based on a true story

So this film is based on a true story and a series of political incidents that happened in Telangana, in the year 1991. It is a political context, which becomes a personal conflict. Virata Parvam is one of the chapters of The Mahabharatha. But this film has nothing to with the actual story. But it portrays different emotions like love, politics, secrets, and many other things, just like the original chapter.

Cast is the crucial part

The film has a dash of leftist politics. Initially, I narrated the story to Gopichand and this was more than a year ago. But the actor was busy with his ongoing projects and rejected it. Next, I approached Rana Daggubati and he immediately said 'yes'. I love Sai Pallavi's performance since Premam. I approached her for my first film itself. But she was busy then. So finally, I worked with her for Virata Parvam.

Five strong women

Besides Sai Pallavi, this film has Nandita Das, who fights for human rights, Priyamani, who plays a Naxalite and has a story to say. Zareena Wahab plays Rana's mother and she plays an important role in shaping up his career in the film. Easwari Rao also plays a pivotal role. So basically, this film has women taking lead. They play strong roles and their characters are going to be inspiring. In short, all these five women run the story and are the most important.

Artists go without make-up

All the artists in the film have acted without makeup. I wanted them to look natural because their characters demand them to be natural. Everybody has agreed to it and have cooperated very well. All of them are experienced actors and they know what all goes into making a good film. I am really thankful to them for the work they have done.

Nandita replaced Tabu because...

Nandita Das has replaced Tabu, who was initially roped in for the film. But her dates weren't available. She was already busy with Ala Vaikunthapuramlo then. I am a big fan of Nandita Das's work. Besides being an amazing actress, she's an inspiring woman and has done many big things that need appreciation. So I felt she would be the only one who can fit into that role.

Little more is left

If things were fine, the film would have released by now. Well, 10 percent of the shoot is still remaining. I mean set work is pending, and then the post-production formalities. Also, I don't think we are in a hurry to shoot. For me, the safety of the artistes also matters, and shooting in the current circumstances is a high risk. Let's see...

Venu Udugula's first film is Needi Naadi Oke Katha and this film, and its story have been praised for being close to reality.