Arjun Sarja is marking his return to direction with Seetha Payanam, which marks his daughter Aishwarya's Telugu debut. The film also stars Niranjan, nephew of popular Kannada and Telugu actor Upendra, as the male lead. The film’s pre-release event was held on Tuesday in Hyderabad, with Brahmanandam attending as the chief guest.
Speaking on the occasion, Arjun reflected on his long journey in cinema. “It has been almost 42 years of my journey in Telugu cinema since my debut film, Ma Pallelo Gopaludu. The people here have owned me as one of their own,” he said. He added that his overall film journey spans 46 years, as he began his career in Kannada cinema.
“Seetha Payanam is not just one person’s journey. I wanted to introduce my daughter with a meaningful and positive film. The story belongs to a very different genre. I wanted this movie to be a gift to my daughter. We made it with a sense of responsibility to deliver a good film to the audience. I crafted it with complete honesty,” said Arjun.
He mentioned that the film would also be a good platform for Niranjan. “He is a very talented actor. When I was looking for a lead, I felt he was perfect for the role,” said Arjun, adding that Niranjan has delivered a brilliant performance as Abhi. “As for my daughter, I cannot speak much because she is my daughter, and it is for the audience to judge. But I believe everyone will appreciate Aishwarya’s performance,” said the actor-filmmaker.
Arjun also praised senior actor Sathyaraj for his professionalism. “He was extremely disciplined with his dates and timing. The father-daughter track and the emotional scenes between them will be a major highlight. Prakash Raj’s character will also be loved,” he said.
Speaking about Prakash Raj, Arjun said, “Saying he acted well would be too casual. In this film, he has done something different, and the audience will definitely appreciate his performance.”
Arjun revealed that he also appears in a cameo along with Dhruva. “Anup Rubens’ songs and background score are major strengths of the film. Generally, a director works with five to ten assistant directors, but in my case, only Murthy and I worked on it. Murthy put in tremendous effort; we made this film together,” he said about his assistant director.
He also praised cinematographer Bala Kumaran for capturing stunning visuals. “Though the film deals with sensitive emotions, it has all the necessary commercial elements, too. We made this movie straight from the heart. It highlights the value of relationships and is crafted to appeal to all sections of the audience. We hope you watch and support it on February 14,” Arjun said.