"Thammudu is a film rich in family emotions and layered storytelling. It doesn’t follow the conventional 'hero-centric' template. Five women drive the story forward," says director Venu Sriram, talking about Thammudu, his July 4th release.
The director, known for MCA and Vakeel Saab, adds that the story of the film is layered.
The emotional trajectory of our film mirrors that of Kamal Haasan's character in Vikram, who was integrally woven into the narrative. The genesis of Thammudu lies in a newspaper article I came across years ago.
In contrast to the often brief fight sequences prevalent in Indian cinema, the action in Thammudu was conceived as impactful, emotionally resonant, and narratively significant episodes. Although the production timeline extended from an initial eight-month projection to two years, the film was completed within its original budget.
Thammudu is essentially a battle fought to uphold pride - a story rooted in brother-sister sentiment, yet layered with much more.
Archery, an ancient discipline requiring immense mental and physical strength, focus, and wind assessment, has always fascinated me. I finally got to incorporate it into Thammudu. Nithiin underwent 15 days of intensive training with a professional coach, and the final version received full approval from Dil Raju sir.
Laya's Jhansi is the foundation for the story. Hers is the strongest female character. In her first innings, she was known for homely, soft roles. Thammudu presents her in a contrasting character. As a writer, I like all my characters. I can't be biased. I enjoyed writing Ratna (Sapthami Gowda) the most. It was tricky to balance it in the movie. I enjoyed placing it in the story and its liveliness. All the major female characters have physicality. It was strenuous for them. Swasika's Gutthi is the liveliest of them all, in my personal opinion (she also learned Kalari). These female characters are inspired by the women around me. I see a hero in my wife, I admire different qualities in my elder sister and my mother.
I have a younger brother who is settled in California. He used to stay with me during my AD days. At that time, he was pursuing Engineering. I used to cook for him, and I treated him as my son. I have an elder sister; what I like the most about her is that she never expects anything from others.
We received A certificate because of the raised new standards of the CBFC. Thammudu is not excessively violent.
Saurabh Sachdeva has played the chief antagonist. Ajaneesh Loknath has composed the music and BGM. The songs are receiving a nice response.
Previously, Amazon Prime acquired all Sri Venkateswara Creations films. But this time, Netflix came forward and bought Thammudu for a great price.
When ICON didn’t go on floors as planned, I wasn’t disheartened. In my career, there was a 7-year gap between my first and second films. I was already married and had kids then. (ICON was pitched to Allu Arjun. It will not be done with him whenever it materializes).
Each of my films belongs to a different genre. I have never repeated a genre in my career. Whether ICON will be my next film or something else, I will talk about it later.
