Nandamuri Kalyan Ram’s Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi, directed by Pradeep Chilukuri, is set for a theatrical release on April 18. Also starring the legendary Vijayashanti, the film is billed as a massy family entertainer with action, sentiment, and a quietly simmering ideological conflict between a mother and son. It marks a comeback for Vijayashanti in a full-length, physically intense role and presents Kalyan Ram in an intense emotional space. Addressing how the film came into being, Pradeep shared, “The producers wanted to make a film with Kalyan Ram gaaru. He had already done experimental films like Devil or Amigos recently. This time, we thought, 'Let’s do a mass film.' I built a strong hero character, and then we thought, what if the mother was just as powerful? That’s when the idea of a character like Vyjayanthi came to life.”
The real test, of course, was casting. Pradeep recalled, “We pitched the idea to Kalyan Ram gaaru and he said yes, but only if Vijayashanti gaaru agrees to it. If she is not going to do it, then let’s work on another story. We took it to her, and she was very happy. She even suggested a few changes. We made them, and then we went to set.”
Pradeep recollected, almost with disbelief, the effort Vijayashanthi brought to the shoot. He shared, “There’s a scene where she had to lie in muddy water. She stayed there for three to four hours. Afterwards, when we went to her caravan, her hands were shaking. She had a fever. But she never said a word. That’s the level of passion she brought. Her seniority gave us so much depth. When I watched her performance, I got goosebumps. She performed at a completely different level. She and Kalyan Ram really competed in terms of acting.”
At the centre of the film is a clash not of good and evil but of principle. “The hero and mother characters are both correct in their ideology. It’s two people believing they are right. That’s where the conflict arises,” he stated.
The action, however, is designed with a big-screen scale in mind. “We’ve got fights done by Prithvi Master, Ramakrishna Master, Peter Hein Master, and Raghuvaran Master. Each one brought a different flavour. Vijayashanti gaaru has a major action sequence, including rope shots. She did it all effortlessly,” Pradeep said.
There’s also a streak of personal storytelling that runs through the Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi’s emotional core. He shared the film's theme, “Parents make our birthdays a celebration. Celebrating our parents’ birthdays is the emotion I wanted to explore here. What would a son sacrifice for his mother?” It’s a sentiment the director believes will connect beyond fans of either star. “This is a good emotional action film that will connect with everyone. Everyone will definitely like it,” he further said.
Much has been made of the buzz around the film’s climax, and Pradeep doesn’t dismiss it. “It will be very emotional,” he noted, “That’s all I’ll say for now.”
There’s also curiosity around Saiee Manjrekar’s role, which Pradeep described as a balancing act. “This is an emotional film, very intense. Her character brings a bit of a cool breeze. But even her character has weight in the story,” he added.
This is Pradeep’s return to feature directing nearly a decade after his debut, Raja Cheyyi Vesthe (2016), and he doesn’t brush past the pause. He explained, “I had a few things in motion. I got advances for a big hero film but that got shelved. I worked on a story for three years with UV Creations, we’re doing that next. I also spent a year and a half on a script with Anil Sunkara’s banner. That’s still in the pipeline.”
Despite the break, the reception to Arjun S/O Vyjayanthi’s promotional material has been promising. “The producers are very happy. The business is very good. There’s a strong buzz,” he said. And apparently, the belief extends beyond marketing. “Jr NTR gaaru watched the film. He said in the pre-release after watching the film, ‘Kalyan’s collar will fly.’ That’s the confidence he had.”
A lot of that confidence, Pradeep insisted, also comes from his music composer Ajaneesh Loknath. “Both songs are good. The re-recording is next level. Each character has a unique soundtrack, including that of Kalyan Ram, Vijayashanti, and even the villain.”
When asked what he believes is Kalyan Ram’s greatest strength, he said, “Emotion. He unleashes emotion.” The same, he stated, applies to himself, “Emotion is my strength too. Even the next films I’ll do will have emotion as their core.”
On whether Pradeep ever felt intimidated about directing a legendary actor like Vijayashanti, he said, “Not really. The cinema field is all about confidence. We pitched it confidently and executed the project confidently.”