Directed by newcomer Vinayak Vaithianathan, Love Guru releases on April 11
Buoyed by the enthusiasm of two Malayalam dubbed films – Premalu and Manjummel Boys – tasting success in Telugu in the recent weeks, multiple Tamil films – DeAr and Romeo – are testing their fortunes in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana this festive weekend. Romeo, headlined by Vijay Antony, Mirnalini Ravi, will release in Telugu as Love Guru on April 11.
Love Guru marks the directorial debut of Vinayak Vaithianathan, a former associate of Shree Karthick for Oke Oka Jeevitham. Produced by Meera Vijay Antony under the actor-director-composer’s home banner Vijay Antony Film Corporation, leading Telugu production house Mythri Movie Makers is distributing the film in Telugu States.
The film, which appears loosely inspired by Shah Rukh Khan’s Rab Ne Banadi Jodi, revolves around a husband who’ll go to any lengths to win the love of his wife, who’s reluctantly married to him. The protagonist plays a Malaysian chef, who runs a bakery. He loses his sister to a tragedy early in life and seeks companionship through marriage and returns to India.
He falls for a prospective match instantly and agrees to marry her, despite the girl’s disinterest in the proposal. Agreeing to go ahead with the relationship on her terms, the duo gets married. The wife intentionally distances herself from the husband and tries her best to humiliate him, though it only motivates the protagonist to win her over. Will he succeed in his pursuit?
“My father, an associate director, had waited for 30 years for a direction opportunity and I got to wield the megaphone right at 25. The film is a dream-come-true moment for my family and marks the end of a 55-year-long wait (30+25). Vijay Antony told me to treat this film like his home production and till the last day of shoot, he did everything to bring my vision to reality,” director Vaithianathan shared recently.
Vijay Antony called the debutant director after watching his short film and the latter was pleasantly surprised when the actor-director-producer described its technical finesse in detail, asking if he would be willing to direct a feature film for him. “I was jumping out of excitement and couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that Vijay Antony was on the other end. I genuinely believed Mirnalini Ravi would do justice to the character.”
“I am very thankful to Vinayak for such a memorable experience with Love Guru. After listening to the narration, I was confident of its prospects and messaged him it would be a big blockbuster like Bichagadu. Love Guru will not look like the work of a debutant. Mirnalini Ravi is the lifeline of the film, her performance was so consistent, ensuring continuity. Bhashya Sri’s dialogues, Bharath’s music will certainly enhance the impact of the film,” Vijay Antony said.
“Love Guru is a memorable film for me and I haven’t done such a heavy, emotional role in my previous appearances and I thank Vijay Antony for roping me on board. Besides being a lovely co-star, Vijay Antony was a producer who didn’t mind sponsoring me for an acting class to enhance my performance in the film. Vinayak is one of the most sensible directors I’ve worked with, it’s a privilege to bag a film where the heroine gets as much prominence as a hero. Leela is a well-written, emotional character,” Mirnalini Ravi added.
Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh, Ilavarasu, Thalaivasal Vijay, Sudha and Sreeja Ravi play other crucial roles in the film which has music by newcomer Barath Dhanasekar. Vijay Antony also edited the film while Farook J Basha is the cinematographer. The film’s pre-release event was held on Monday in Hyderabad in the presence of the cast, crew and Telugu distributors.
