The trailer of Virupaksha was unveiled on Tuesday. The film is written by veteran writer-director Sukumar and directed by Karthik Dandu. The feature brings themes of spirituality and black magic in a story set against a rural backdrop, promising drama and action to the audience.
Virupaksha is the sophomore directorial of Karthik Dandu, who made his debut with the 2015 film Bham Bholenath. Speaking to CE about the inception of Virupaksha, Karthik says, “I am a great fan of spooky films. We got a lot of Telugu films in this genre during the 90s and 80s. They were set around black magic and mysticism, but we hardly have films like that now. Since I want to make a mark as a filmmaker, I took up this subject that not many have not explored in contemporary cinema.”
Continuing to talk about his favourite films and filmmakers in the horror genre, Karthik says, “Right from Exorcist to Don’t Breathe that came out recently, I love all kinds of horror films. I love the filmography of M Night Shyamalan. I look up to his films and stories, which deal heavily with mysticism. I was also particularly inspired by Ram Gopal Varma’s Raatri.”
Speaking about his collaboration with Sukumar, Karthik says, “Working with him was no less than a boon. I approached him as a producer with my story, following which he expressed his interest to pen the screenplay apart from bankrolling the film. Working with him was a fantastic experience.
It had a huge impact on my thought process and my approach towards the film. Sukumar put together the entire project himself, roping in the actors and the other producers.” Karthik is tight-lipped about the film’s story and hopes that the intrigue built from the trailer and other promotional material will bring people to the theatres.