Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya come together for Chennai Love Story, to be released in theatres on July 24. CLS is produced by SKN and Sai Rajesh, the duo behind hits like Colour Photo and Baby. The film is made under the Amrutha Productions and Mass Movie Makers banners. Sai Rajesh wrote the story. Ravi Namburii directs the film. Mani Sharma has composed the music.
A Beautiful Love Story
The makers today held a press meet in Hyderabad. The event also marked Kiran Abbavaram's birthday, celebrated with much festivity. Actress Siri Hanumanthu spoke about her role. "I am very happy to be a part of CLS," she shared. "Audiences will witness a beautiful love story through our film." She thanked the director and producers for the opportunity. Co-producer Dheeraj Mogilineni added a lighter note to the event. "The meaning of love changes with time," he said, "but for me, love means Chennai Love Story right now."
Kiran on a Career-Defining Film
Kiran Abbavaram reflected on what CLS means to him personally. "This is one of the most memorable films of my career and will always remain special to me," he said. He said he would return to watch this film years from now, above his other work. He acknowledged competition at the box office but stood firm. He also spoke about his character's respectful treatment of the heroine. Throughout the film, he addresses her as "andi," a term of respect. "While performing the role, I often wondered if someone could truly love and respect a woman this deeply," he said. He clarified expectations set by the songs. "After watching the songs, many of you think it's a class film, but it's actually a proper mass entertainer," he said.
Sri Gouri Priya on Her Layered Character
She spoke about the emotional weight of the film, calling it "emotionally hard-hitting". She pointed to the song Vadalane as a standout moment. "Several sequences in the second half will stay with audiences for a long time," she added. She described her character as one with multiple layers. "If you have watched the four songs we have released so far, you will notice I appear differently in each one," she said. She summed up the film's core idea simply. "Our film shows what pure love truly looks like," she said.
Director Ravi Namburii on Writing Steven and Nivi
He spoke at length about the film's central characters. "The conversations between Steven Shankar and Nivi are one of the highlights of our film," he shared. He explained that the producers gave him creative freedom to write these dialogues. "Once Steven and Nivi came alive on paper, their personalities naturally shaped their dialogues," he said. He was quick to share credit for the writing. "If I receive appreciation for writing Steven's character well, the credit belongs to Sai Rajesh garu," he said. He also spoke about choosing Chennai as the setting. When Sai Rajesh narrated the story, he suggested Chennai as the backdrop. Namburii felt the city had a vibe that suited the narrative.
Sai Rajesh and SKN on Trust, Music, and Business Confidence
Story writer and producer Sai Rajesh praised Kiran's support through the filmmaking process. "We never felt the pressure of making a film with a star because Kiran has been incredibly supportive throughout the process," he said. He recalled that Kiran trusted the team from the very first narration. Sai Rajesh also spoke about the film's music. During Baby, the team had more time to work with Vijay Bulganin. This time, the schedule was tighter. "We chose Mani Sharma garu because he can deliver exceptional quality music in a short span of time," he said. He also explained why he handed direction to Namburii. He is currently busy with the Hindi remake of Baby. "That's why I entrusted the direction to my close friend Ravi," he said.
Producer SKN echoed confidence in the film's content. "The lead pair have delivered fantastic performances in our film," he said. He noted that CLS will release in the highest number of theatres of their careers so far. He also addressed comparisons with Baby. "Comparisons with Baby don't put any extra pressure on us because both films are completely different," he said. On the same-day competition with other releases, SKN was diplomatic. "There's no 'Dil Raju versus Mythri' competition," he said.
