On an average day Shriya Saran looks drop-dead gorgeous. When she makes an extra effort, she can really turn heads, like she did at the audio launch of her latest bi-lingual in Tamil and Kannada, titled Chandra. The film marks the entry of Kannada hero Prem Kumar in Tamil and stars Ganesh Venkatraman, Vivekh and Suganya as well.
The film is the second for director Roopa Iyer, a Tamilian, whose family has been settled in Karnataka for several generations. The film which is touted to be a ‘royal’ love story, has music by Gowtham Srivatsa who is making an entry into Tamil films.
The audio of the film was launched by Kalaipuli S Thanu and P L Thenappan. Four songs from the film were shown, interspersed with clippings of comic interludes between Vivekh and the hero. Vivekh has played a king in the film while Shriya and Ganesh play modern day royals.
Speaking about the film, a visibly enthusiastic Shriya said, “I have worked with many handsome heroes but this is my first time with a pretty director like Roopa Iyer! She has done a lot of research on the subject and is very driven and hardworking. She is very down to earth and intelligent and has a heart of gold, supporting many charitable causes.” Roopa Iyer had earlier directed a HIV related film which won several awards. She is also the producer of this film under her India Classic Arts banner. Revealing details of her pet project, Roopa said, “Chandra is a love story about a generation of royals stuck between the traditional and the modern cultures. The minute I met Shriya I felt a strong bond with her since she also supports several charitable projects like me. She has worked very hard learning kalaripayattu for the film. There are several classical dances in the film and Vivekh plays her brother. We shot in New York and New Jersey apart from the Mysore and Bangalore Palaces.” Roopa has written the lyrics of two songs and is a dancer and kalaripayattu expert herself, which made it easier for her to identify with the character of Chandra. Roopa has not only acted in Kannada films but is also a trained classical dancer and has choreographed some of the songs.