Shantala - All you need to know about Nihal Kodhaty, Ashlesha Thakur’s period drama

The dance-centric drama marks the directorial debut of Seshu Peddireddy

Shantala

Shantala, a period drama bringing together Nihal Kodhaty, Ashlesha Thakur, seasoned actor Vinodh Kumar in lead roles, is gearing up for a release in six languages on December 15. While the film was originally made in Telugu, it will also be out in Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and Tamil. Irrinki Suresh has bankrolled the film made under the supervision of veteran producer KS Rama Rao.

The drama marks the directorial debut of Seshu Peddireddy, a long-time associate of filmmakers like Trivikram, K Raghavendra Rao. He also has worked on several films produced by KS Rama Rao’s Creative Commercials. Ananda Chakrapani, Rekha, Veena Nair, Deepak and Manju Bhargavi too essayed crucial roles in the film shot extensively in Karnataka in just under 40 days (34 days to be precise).

Also read: Nihal Kodhaty: I want to be part of untold stories that are commercially viable

The story of Shantala is based on folklore in Belur, Halebidu regions revolving around a dancer, who was believed to be a reincarnation of a princess of the Hoysala kingdom. The film centres on her love life, the larger purpose behind her birth and how she taught an important lesson to a perverted zamindar. Vishal Chandrashekhar’s mellifluous music score is an asset to the drama, the makers share.

The filmmaker Seshu extensively researched on the subject, while staying in and around Belur, Halebidu, gathering information from various sources and blended his material with a few fictional liberties. He approached KS Rama Rao to produce the film, who liked his idea and asked him to come up with a dialogue version. After readying a bound script, Seshu was thrilled to have earned a nod from the producer.

While KS Rama Rao expressed his inclination to produce it, he asked Seshu to be patient and wanted to choose an ideal time to begin filming. Over time, upon the director’s insistence, the veteran approached Irrinki Satya and Suresh in the US to back it. KS Rama Rao supervised the entire production of Shantala and was present on set throughout the making and didn’t interfere with the director’s vision.

The Family Man find Ashlesha Thakur was already familiar with Kathak, but she found it a challenge to understand the nuances of Bharatanatyam in less time. Despite not knowing Telugu, her co-star Nihal helped her with the dialogues. Nihal plays an archaeologist who falls in love with the dancer and had fond memories shooting in Chikkamagaluru.

The makers arranged a special screening of the film for politician Venkaiah Naidu recently, the likes of Trivikram, Mahesh Bhatt launched multiple promos of Shantala. Seshu also credits the cinematographer Ramesh and dialogue writer Sai Madhav Burra for bringing his vision to life. KS Rama Rao believes that in times when over-the-top comedy and action films are ruling the roost, Shantala will be a breath of fresh air.

Also read: Shantala release date: Nihal Kodhaty, Ashlesha Thakur’s period drama will be out on..

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