Satya Dev and Venkatesh Maha have teamed up for the second time for Rao Bahadur, which is gearing up for release.
The film’s first single, O Sundari, dropped yesterday and received an instant and tremendous response.
Producer Anurag Reddy stated that Rao Bahadur will give both Venkatesh Maha and Satya Dev their due credit.
“This film will transport you back to the 1960s–80s. Namrata patiently sat through a six-hour story narration. At a time when Mahesh Babu and Rajamouli are taking Varanasi to the world, we believe we’ve made a film worthy of taking a Mahesh Babu–produced project to the global stage. When I watched the film recently, the writing and casting felt like they belonged to another league.”
Satya Dev revealed the intense process behind his look in the film.
“On day one, I reached set at 4 AM. My makeup took five hours. We began shooting at 9 and continued till 2 AM. The following days were the same. When I asked director Maha about it, he said it would continue for 80–85 days. Under such conditions, O Sundari was a booster- it gave us all some much-needed relief.
Just like Baahubali, Varanasi, or Avatar held you to your seats with their scale, Rao Bahadur will offer that kind of experience. Venkatesh Maha will be celebrated by audiences across India- that’s something I can confidently say.”
Director Venkatesh Maha revealed that the story had been ready since 2020.
“I gave 70 narrations of the story to different people. When I was about to set it aside, I received a call from Keeravani. We spoke at length, and he told me, ‘I want to see your film again. Make a good film.’ That strengthened me. Soon after, Anurag and Sharath called and said, ‘Let’s do this film.’ Namrata listened to a six-hour narration and then discussed it with me for two more hours. As soon as Mahesh Babu approved, we began. Later, Gopalakrishna Reddy joined. These people are my five Avengers.
Satya is my creative soulmate. He sat for five hours of makeup every morning for more than 70 days. For some scenes, he even did 30 takes. Having an actor like him is our fortune. Deep is a phenomenal actor. Just like Rahman is to Mani Ratnam, Smaran is that for me. You will definitely leave the theatres with a heavy heart.”
The makers have also announced that the film will release in June.