Every star camp needs its quiet architects. Allu Arjun's camp just watched one of its own step into the spotlight. Sarath Chandra Naidu has spent years shaping the marketing muscle behind some of Telugu cinema's well-known box-office hits. He has also served as Allu Arjun's personal manager. Now, he has traded campaign strategy for the producer's chair (while continuing his association with the Raaka actor). And the debut is paying off.
His first production, Gurthukosthunnayi, is drawing warm reviews on ETV Win. For a first-timer, that's no small feat. The nostalgic web series starring Baby fame Viraj Ashwin and Yashashree Rao is directed by Winod Gali. The comedy-drama follows Santosh, a young man who loses his memory in an accident, and his friends' efforts to help him relive his past and childhood love before his wedding.
Sarath didn't just bankroll the project. He got his hands dirty in the writing room too. Alongside director Winod and the writing team, he shaped several portions of the script himself. Years of reading audience reactions clearly rubbed off. That instinct for what moves people shows up in every frame.
So where did the idea come from? It started small, on Instagram. Sarath runs a podcast page called Relangi Mavayya, where he spins nostalgic tales from the '90s in his own voice. The page struck a chord. People who grew up in that decade found something familiar in it, something worth holding onto. That online buzz caught the attention of Sai Krishna Reddy and Nitin Chakravarthy at ETV Win. They saw a series hiding inside those stories. Gurthukosthunnayi was the result.
Then came a moment that made the milestone even sweeter. Allu Arjun himself reached out. The Pushpa sensation congratulated Sarath publicly, celebrating a longtime team member's first steps as a producer. It was a small gesture, but it said a lot about the loyalty and mentorship running through that camp. Sarath sums up his transition simply. Marketing taught him how audiences think, he says. That understanding guided every decision he made, from writing to production to how the series was finally presented to viewers. From building campaigns to building stories, Sarath Chandra Naidu has proven his range. "This has been possible because of Allu Arjun garu's support. He wants the people around him to grow in life. When I started Gurthukosthunnayi, he asked me to focus on content," Sarath recently said.
As for casting Viraj Ashwin, he was chosen because of the short film Manasanamaha. His performance in the climax has been praised.
The 7-episode series has each episode running into about 30-35 minutes.
