Ram, Keerthy have equal importance in the story of Nenu Sailaja: Tirumala Kishore

Director Tirumala Kishore, who is busy promoting his latest movie "Nenu Sailaja", says the story of the film offers equal screen space to its lead pair Ram Pothineni and Keerthy Suresh.

Tirumala Kishore says "Nenu Sailaja" is romance drama, but it is not a regular cinematic love story. "It's devoid of the usual stalking episode we've seen in several Telugu films. When the film starts, the lead pair is already in love and the audience travel with them on a journey," the director explained in an interview to IANS.

The film was initially titled "Harikatha", but was rechristened "Nenu Sailaja". Talking about it, the director said he changed it as its story gives equal weightage to the lead pair. "Ram plays Hari, and our earlier title meant this is Hari's story. However, we felt since the lead actors have equal importance in the story, we changed it to "Nenu Sailaja", which means 'Sailaja and I'. And this is more apt," he said.

Ram Pothineni, who is playing the role of a DJ, was thrilled to see the first cut of "Nenu Sailaja". Keerthy Suresh has essayed the role of a simple girl, and has fit the bill perfectly, says the director.

"Both of them were extremely good. A day before we started shooting, Ram told me he would come with a clean slate and I have to take care of everything. He put all his faith in me and when we saw the first copy of the film, he was thrilled. Keerthy, on the other hand, is a natural. The story required someone who looks simple and didn't have to be glamorous. So instead of bringing somebody from the north, we chose to work with her," said Tirumala Kishore.

Sameer Reddy has handled the camera work for "Nenu Sailaja". The film unit had tough time shooting as the movie's schedules in Vishakhapatnam and Araku valley were disturbed by rainfall. The director has thanked for the rain for its cooperation. "Of all the forces that helped us in the making of this film, I need to thank nature the most," said Kishore.

"Nenu Sailaja" also features Sathyaraj, Rohini, Pradeep Rawat, Prince, Naresh, Srimukhi, Rajasree Nair and Pragathi. The film has been produced by Ravi Kishore under the banner Sri Sravanthi Movies. Devi Sri Prasad has composed music for its songs, which have impressed listeners. The film is slated to release on 1 January, and is likely to be the first hit Telugu film of 2016.