Should Sapta Sagaradaache Ello have been just one film? Rakshit Shetty responds

Director Hemanth M Rao’s intense love story, Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, was split into two films, Side A and Side B, and some audiences now feel he should not have

Rakshit Shetty

Hemanth M Rao began making his third directorial Sapta Sagaradaache Ello as one film. But somewhere along the way he felt that he would not be able to do justice to the material at hand by cramming it into one film of, say, about 3-hour length. So, he broached the idea of splitting it into two parts with his producer, who, as luck might have it, was his leading man, Rakshit Shetty. The actor-producer, in turn, told Hemanth to shoot the film the way he wanted and that a final call could be taken later. Eventually, 137 days of shoot, during which time there was a break for Rakshit to gain weight for later portions of the story, was split into Side A and Side B, two films of about 2 hours and 20 odd minutes each.

Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side A review: Hemanth M Rao's throbbing love story leaves you wanting more

Side A released on September 1 and Side B on October 17 and got largely positive feedback, although there were some who thought that the narrative was lagging and that the story could have been told in one film after all. The reception that Sapta Sagaradaache Ello got at the box office would have, perhaps, been a lot better then, they reckoned. Rakshit, though, isn’t convinced. Whatever Sapta Sagaradaache Ello is today is because of how it was presented, he says. In fact, as a producer, Rakshit had said that he had recovered his investment with Side A itself. Speaking to Newsfirst, Rakshit addressed this speculation, explaining that he understands the relevance of certain elements in the film that could come across as unnecessary to regular audiences. Side A and Side B together constitute 5 hours of story-telling, which, if compressed and made concise to about 3 hours odd, may or may not convey the story in its entire essence.

Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side B review: Rakshit Shetty's film treads dark but predictable waters

However, Rakshit adds that there is an attempt to see if Side A and Side B can be told as one story with a different screenplay. That is still in planning stages and is yet to be executed. This, of course, will also depend on Hemanth and if he wants to give it a shot without meddling with the aura that the film has as of now. Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side A is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, while Side B is in theatres.

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