Sapta Sagaradaache Ello is Hemanth M Rao's third film and second with leading man Rakshit Shetty, who has also produced it
Last Updated: 06.17 PM, Aug 26, 2023
Sapta Sagaradaache Ello is Kannada filmmaker Hemanth M Rao’s third directorial and his second with leading man Rakshit Shetty. The duo had earlier collaborated on Hemanth’s launchpad, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu. The script, which Hemanth co-wrote with Gundu Shetty for the final version that is being brought onscreen, has been in process since the filmmaker’s days as an assistant director on the set of the late Puneeth Rajkumar’s Prithvi. In fact, Hemanth was looking at making it his debut feature film . Hemanth has been quoted as saying that the script has had several iterations since then and that he is glad he did not get to make it back then, as the current version is far more mature and poetic than it was originally.
Sapta Sagaradaache Ello to hit theatres…
Hemanth had shot the film over a whopping 137 days and then decided to present his story as two films. Called Side A and Side B, the two parts of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello will be in theatres 7 weeks apart on September 1 and October 20, respectively. The team’s initial plans were to release the first part by the end of July and have the second one in theatres only three weeks later. Rakshit, who has produced the film under his Paramvah Studios, had told the media that a Muharram (end of July) plan was in the works. This didn’t pan out, but the makers were clear that the two parts had to release in quick succession.
What the trailer entails...
Sapta Sagaradaache Ello’s tale is set across two time periods. The events of Side A are from 2010, where Rakshit as Manu and Rukmini Vasanth as Priya are a couple deeply in love . In the trailer, Manu appears to be a garment factory employee, while Priya is a singer. The couple has socio-economic differences too. It is also hinted that Manu is then involved in a crime and is incarcerated, leaving a question looming large whether their love will survive this.
Side B then takes the story to 2020, with Manu a world-weary, heavy set man sporting battle scars on his face and with Surabhi (Chaithra J Achar) by his side. Not much is known about Side B just yet.
Behind-the-scenes
When Hemanth began working on the film, he had got Rakshit and Rukmini to attend a trust-building workshop to develop a natural chemistry between his lead pair. Sapta Sagaradaache Ello is, after all, an intense love story, and has Manu and Priya in a relationship. The portions involving the two actors was shot during the pandemic, when people wore masks mandatorily, so it was challenging for Hemanth to capture those sequences while maintaining the film’s 2010 storyline.
Once they were done with this portion, Rakshit then had to gain a massive 20 kilos for his look in Side B, which took him a few months. This is the look that Hemanth had envisioned Manu would have 10 years later, in 2020, with a few scars to boot that signify what he’s been through in life.
Budget
The makers have not officially divulged the budget of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, but it is rumoured to be in the vicinity of Rs 30-35 crore, considering that there are two films of 2 hour 15 and 2 hour 20 minutes each.
Plot
The story of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, as can be understood from the trailer of Side A, revolves around the love story of Manu and Priya, wherein their socio-economic divide and a crime become obstacles. Side A is set to be in theatres in a week, and is expected to shed light on what to expect in Side B. Rakshit has said that audiences ought to look out for a bonus scene in Side A .
A musical love story
Hemanth has yet again collaborated with music director MR Charanraj for Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, the soundtrack of which will have a whopping 12 songs spread across the two films. Hemanth has been quoted as saying that he loves telling his stories through music. Two songs, Horataa and the title track have been released with the latter doing phenomenally well on charts.
Cast of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello
The film is led by Rakshit Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth and Chaithra J Achar, along with Avinash, Achyuth Kumar, Sharath Lohithashwa, Gopalkrishna Deshpande and Pavitra Lokesh, among others.
OTT partner
According to sources, Rakshit has already struck a deal for the film’s post-theatrical streaming rights. Considering that his last film 777 Charlie went to Voot Select (now JioCinema) in its Kannada version, with the other languages heading to Amazon Prime Video and the one prior to that, Avane Srimannarayana also on the latter platform, one can take an educated guess where Sapta Sagaradaache Ello will be headed. However, Rakshit had also taken his home production Sakutumba Sametha to Voot Select, so it remains to be seen what the title credits unfold on September 1.