Unlike upcoming directors who look for a commercial beginning, Lohith H created a brand for himself with the supernatural horror, Mummy - Save Me, that starred Priyanka Upendra. Two years later, the director has come up with his second outing, Devaki. This time, it’s a thriller, which has him collaborating with Priyanka once again.
However, this is not the genre that Lohith wanted to start with. He always leaned towards stories based on gangsters, and that was what brought him to the film industry. “That was six years ago. However, my lean and schoolboy looks gave a different perception to the producers and actors I approached, and they were unsure if I could handle a heavy subject like a gangster genre. They would have a good conversation with me, and send me back,” Lohith told CE during an interaction about his upcoming film, which is scheduled to be released on July 5.
According to Lohith, he began with a horror film like Mummy -- Save Me only to prove himself, and when he decided on his second project, he made sure he comes out with untold content. “I was ready to make Mummy sequel, but the subject needed me to shoot only during snowfall. Meanwhile, I read an article about something that had taken place in Kolkata. It was about a family losing their children. It caught my attention, and became the base of Devaki,” Lohith said, adding that the incident still remains a nightmare for the family. “Even today, after six years, the mother, at some point of time during the day, waits for her son with a glass of milk, hoping for his arrival. I took a few key points from the article, and adapted it for cinematic purpose,” he said.
Since the incident took place in Kolkata, Lohith decided to set the film in the West Bengal city. “I set it in a different state only to bring out a different emotion. Also, it is said that a child gets kidnapped every 10 minutes in Delhi and Kolkatta, and I wanted to highlight that point. However, there are 10 value elements in our film, and every 10 minutes, viewers will get to see a change in the plot. The film will make you laugh and cry equally,” he revealed. Lohith has shot the movie mostly in live locations.
Asked about his decision to choose Priyanka Upendra for the second time, the director said his first contact with her happened on television, when he was watching a Tamil film in which she was paired opposite Vikram. “That’s when I decided about a woman-centric film, Mummy -- Save Me, and our journey began. The success of our combination in the first film brought us together in Devaki too,” he said, adding that he shares a good rapport with Priyanka, and would like to work on a project with her every year.
“As an actor, she has a lot of patience, and goes exactly by the characterisation. Moreover, she gives complete support, right from the shoot to the promotions, and stays on board tills the movie’s release. However, she thinks that I am very adamant, and for me, it is an encouraging word,” he said.
Devaki features Nobin Paul’s music and HC Venu’s cinematography, and also has Priyanka’s daugher, Aishwarya, making her debut on the silver screen. “With Priyanka in the lead, Aishwarya becomes the soul of Devaki, and actor Kishore is the connecting point of the plot. We also have Bollywood actor Sanjeev Jaiswal, Bengali actor Samardarshi, and around 40 theatre artistes from Bengal, including Ratan Sarkar, Juin Bagchi, and Mustac, as part of the cast.
The director, whose learning process happened only by watching films, believes that cinema is meant to entertain. Also, he feels that there is no need for one to do routine masala stories, especially when Indian cinema has completed 100 years. “I want to entertain the audience with a subject that I like, but with a flavour that appeals to them. Devaki will be like that,” he said.