Another sports biopic is coming in Telugu and this time it revolves around a Kabaddi player. Many of the actors and technicians are making their debut with this film, including director Vikrant Rudra, lead actor Vijaya Rama Raju and others
Suresh Kavirayani
sureshkavirayani@gmail.com
The makers of Arjun Chakravarthy unveiled the teaser of the film on Monday and it has turned out to be both impressive and intriguing. Director Vikrant Rudra, making his debut, revealed that the film is a sports drama based on the real-life story of a Kabaddi player. “Based on the real-life history of a Kabaddi player, I wrote this story,” said Vikrant Rudra.
The director, who is himself a former Kabaddi player, shared that he once trained under Arjun and heard his story during his younger days. “When I was young, I went to Arjun for Kabaddi coaching. He told me about his life and that story stayed with me. As I grew up, the story grew with me and that’s what inspired me to become a filmmaker,” he said.
Interestingly, the film took nearly five years to complete. “We started in 2019. Then, we took time to select the actors and the pandemic further delayed things. This film demanded a lot of hard work, which is why it took so long,” added the director. Vijaya Rama Raju was cast in the lead role of Arjun Chakravarthy. Rudra emphasized that he aimed to make the film with international standards. “We shot in 120 locations and our producer gave us full creative and financial freedom,” he said. The film was also submitted to many international film festivals and received selections. “We showed the film to director Vetrimaaran and he suggested we send it to festivals—so we did,” Rudra noted. Despite being a first-time filmmaker, producer Sreeni Gubbala was convinced by Rudra’s narration and gave him a chance.
“This is not just a Kabaddi player’s biopic. The story also explores how a National Kabaddi team player experienced downfall and what happened afterward. It’s filled with emotion and even includes a love story,” said the director. When asked whether highlighting festival selections and awards might make audiences think it’s an art film, Rudra clarified, “It’s not an art film. The film includes songs, emotions and all commercial elements.”
Vijaya Rama Raju, who is debuting as a lead actor, said, “The director told me from the start that this film would take a few years and I agreed. I didn’t take up any other projects during this time.”
He added that he spent one and a half years with a pro-Kabaddi team to learn the sport before shooting began. Speaking about a challenging scene in the teaser, Raju said, “There’s a scene where I had to lift a heavy log. Initially, I told them I could lift 50 kilos, so they gave me a log weighing 50 kilos. But the shoot was in minus temperatures and by the next day, the log absorbed water and snow, weighing 110 kilos. For the sake of authenticity, I lifted it.”
He described the film as a physically and emotionally demanding experience. “The transformation was challenging, but this film is memorable for me. I did it with passion,” he shared, giving full credit to director Vikrant Rudra and producer Sreeni.
Sijja Rose is also making her debut as the female lead in the film. Another newcomer, Durgesh, is also introduced. Music is composed by Vignesh Bhaskaran, while Jagadish Cheekati handled cinematography.
