“Chennai Love Story” Team Delivers a Cult Love Story to Audiences : Yuva Samrat Naga Chaitanya at the Grand Success Meet

“Chennai Love Story” Team Delivers a Cult Love Story to Audiences; Film Records Amazing Collections: Yuva Samrat Naga Chaitanya at the Grand Success Meet

Starring Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya in the lead roles, Chennai Love Story has emerged as a grand success with overwhelming appreciation from audiences across all sections. Viewers have been praising the film as a beautiful love story, while the movie has also been performing exceptionally well at the box office. Within just three days of its release, the film grossed ₹40.1 crore. To celebrate this success, the makers organised a grand success meet in Hyderabad with Yuva Samrat Naga Chaitanya as the chief guest.

Director and actor Devi Prasad said, “My thanks to the audience for making a wonderful love story like Chennai Love Story such a huge success. Producers SKN and Sai Rajesh made us a part of this beautiful journey by giving us memorable characters in the film. I have always admired Sai Rajesh as a writer and director. He proved his talent right from Hrudaya Kaleyam.”

Director and actor Karuna Kumar said, “Trends in cinema may change, but love stories remain timeless. Chennai Love Story is one such beautiful romantic film. It has enhanced the pride of Telugu cinema. I’m happy to have played a role in this movie. The entire team worked with conviction, and that is why the film has achieved such a remarkable success.”

Lyricist Anantha Sriram said, “Every producer is relaxed until Sunday, but Monday is when the real tension begins. If a film continues to collect well on Monday, it is truly a big success. Thanks to the Telugu audience for giving our film such a wonderful victory.”

Mythri Shashi said, “In Nizam, the morning shows collected ₹40 lakh gross, but the matinee collections jumped to ₹90 lakh. That shows how quickly audiences embraced this film. From that point onward, there was no looking back. Even yesterday, Vimal Theatre was houseful. Collections are excellent in the districts as well. We believe this will become the highest-grossing film in Kiran Abbavaram’s career.”

Director Sailesh Kolanu said, “Sai Rajesh is a good friend of mine. I met him yesterday, and he said Monday’s collections would decide everything. If a film remains strong on Monday, it is undoubtedly a super hit. Chennai Love Story has achieved that. Audiences often visit theatres because of a hero, but Sai Rajesh has now earned the credibility to draw audiences purely with his name.”

Actor Thrigun said, “I played a guest role in Chennai Love Story, and I feel this character will further elevate my career. I have been receiving immense appreciation. This is the kind of classic love story that deserves a place in the library alongside timeless romantic films. I even request the producers to increase the number of shows.”

Ceeded distributor Yathi said, “We were surprised by yesterday’s collections in Ceded. Usually, if a film collects 50 to 60 percent of its opening-day collections on the third day, we consider it excellent. But Chennai Love Story achieved nearly 90 percent, which is extraordinary. Today’s morning show collections are even higher than yesterday’s. Audiences are becoming deeply emotional while watching the film.”

Producer Naveen Yerneni said, “The moment I watched the film, I called everyone and said it would become a super hit. Yesterday’s collections were nearly 90 percent of Day 1. This momentum will continue for at least two weeks, and the film will create record numbers at the box office. It’s wonderful to see such success for a young team.”

Actress Sri Gouri Priya said, “This film has given us countless emotions over the past one-and-a-half years. Congratulations to everyone in our team. My heartfelt thanks to Sai Rajesh for writing such a wonderful story. He believed I could perform the role of Nivi, and receiving such a layered character at the beginning of my career is a blessing. This film has truly given me a career. Producer SKN carried this project on his shoulders, while Dheeraj was a constant pillar of strength behind us. Kiran is an amazing co-star. We always believed we had made a good film, but we never imagined audiences would shower us with this much love after its release. They are appreciating every single aspect of the movie.”

Co-producer Dheeraj Mogilineni said, “I told everyone that Telugu cinema had never seen a love story like this, and that audiences would carry its emotions in their hearts after watching it. I’m happy to see people responding exactly as I had hoped. Steven Shankar will remain in everyone’s hearts. Without Kiran Abbavaram, this film wouldn’t have been possible. Gouri delivered a beautiful performance, and Ravi’s hard work has finally paid off.”

Director Ravi Namburi said, “I thank my entire team for this success. They stood by me throughout the journey. My wife Swapna supported me immensely and took care of our family over the last one-and-a-half years. Without her, I wouldn’t be standing here today. I thank Sai Rajesh and SKN for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.”

Producer and story writer Sai Rajesh said, “Someone earlier called Naga Chaitanya a gem, and that is absolutely true. I’ve seen how affectionately he treats everyone, including the workers on set. He didn’t have to attend this event, but he came the moment we invited him. His presence will certainly help the film collect even more. Nothing in my career came easily. Even my previous four films, including Baby, didn’t receive the kind of morning-show response we expected. During Baby, SKN and I were convinced after the morning shows that the film had failed. Chennai Love Story was different. We firmly believed in this film from the very beginning and never imagined any other release date. Producers go through enormous struggles. After release, we kept hearing that the film wouldn’t appeal to the masses and would decline. We quickly made the necessary corrections and released the improved version, and we thank Annapurna Studios for supporting us. The early talk left me disappointed, and I locked myself in a room. But our team urged me to visit single-screen theatres, where the audience response was phenomenal. I always said I would only believe the film was a super hit after Monday’s collections. Seeing yesterday’s numbers, I can proudly say that audiences have truly embraced our film. Nothing else matters anymore.”

Producer SKN said, “Before a miracle happens, nobody believes in it. After it happens, there’s no need to convince anyone. Sai Rajesh and I always care about two people, the audience who buys tickets and watches our films, and the distributors and exhibitors who stand as the backbone of every release. If they are happy, we are happy. Within just four days, Chennai Love Story achieved break-even across Andhra, Nizam and Ceded. This is not just a blockbuster, it is an even greater success. Our distributors Shashi and Yathi have confirmed the same, and our Andhra distributor will share his experience at the next press meet. I started my career earning just ₹2,500 while working at a television channel. Money has never been my priority. If I find a talented filmmaker like Sai Rajesh, I am happy to make one film every two or three years purely out of passion. Within six hours of the film’s release, we saw how much love we received from both the industry and the audience. Having an actor like Kiran Abbavaram is our good fortune. He worked tirelessly and constantly gave us confidence. As long as he continues with this dedication, he will only keep rising. More important than these collections is the credibility he has earned, where people now want to watch a film simply because it stars Kiran. Gouri Priya’s performance will change the way female characters are written in Telugu cinema. A Telugu actress like her can naturally express our emotions. Whenever our films release, I have to manage two things, promotions and Sai Rajesh’s emotions. When theatres became houseful, he would ask if I was buying all the tickets. Even after seeing screenshots, he wondered if they were AI-generated. Only after Monday’s collections did he finally believe the film was a success. Today he is happily wearing a nice shirt and smiling. The first person to watch and appreciate our film on release day was Mythri Naveen. He told us the film was exceptional and that its box-office run wouldn’t stop. Those words meant a lot to us. Some people in the industry watch films only to find faults. Real judgment is understanding the audience’s pulse in advance, and that is why Mythri has become one of India’s biggest production houses. The Akkineni family has always been associated with evergreen love stories, and we are delighted that Naga Chaitanya’s presence has become a seal of approval for our film. Despite being busy with shooting, he came here today, and we sincerely thank him. I hope to make a beautiful love story with Naga Chaitanya someday.”

Hero Kiran Abbavaram said, “Whenever I see Naga Chaitanya anna, I feel he genuinely wishes the best for everyone. He attended my earlier event and has now come to celebrate this film’s success. Thank you for always supporting me. My thanks to director Ravi for giving me such a memorable character like Steven Shankar, and to Sai Rajesh for believing I was the right person to play it. Congratulations to our entire team, and heartfelt thanks to every member of the audience. People from every age group are coming to theatres to watch this film. Seeing all of you in cinemas gives me immense happiness. Audiences are connecting with the film emotionally and relating to our characters. Many are sending us long heartfelt messages after watching the movie. Family is very important. Please always wear a helmet while travelling. NTR garu often reminds us about road safety. Drive safely. Thank you to everyone who has given me such a huge success.”

Hero Naga Chaitanya said, “Everyone is thanking me for attending this event, but there’s really no need. I’m simply happy to celebrate the success of this wonderful team. Sai Rajesh had invited me to the trailer launch, but I couldn’t attend because of prior commitments, and I genuinely felt bad about missing it. Even before the film became successful, I wanted to support and promote it because I personally love love stories. After the pandemic, I felt disappointed seeing fewer romantic films being made, as there was uncertainty about whether audiences would still come to theatres for them. Thankfully, that trend has slowly begun to return, and Chennai Love Story has given the industry another cult love story. We’ve seen many different kinds of romances over the years, including stories about relationships after marriage or after breakups. Today’s audiences connect more deeply with such mature and complex relationships. I would love to see more stories that honestly explore the highs and lows of couples’ lives, their victories and failures, and the conversations they share. As an actor, I’ve always wanted to be part of such films, and Chennai Love Story is exactly the kind of love story I have been looking for. I was truly happy after watching it. This is a maturely written love story. Sai Rajesh deserves special appreciation for writing such an excellent story and entrusting it to another director. Ravi Namburi has beautifully handled a film filled with complex emotions and presented it in a way that connects with everyone. Every artist delivered an outstanding performance. SKN knows how to make a good film and take it to every audience. He also supported me tremendously during the promotions of Thandel. After hearing Kiran speak at another event, I became deeply emotional and kept thinking about it even after I returned home. He has overcome countless struggles and obstacles to build his own identity and brand. I know how hard he works for every film. He’s still wearing the bracelet from this movie. I first met Gouri during Shekhar Kammula’s Love Story. She would quietly perform her scenes and leave. Accepting a challenging role like Nivi and delivering such a convincing performance is not easy. This film will be a turning point in her career. Some of her scenes moved me to tears. Kiran’s emotional scenes about a mother’s love were equally touching. Both of them deserve immense appreciation. There is one common factor among everyone in this team, they all came from humble beginnings. They grew up watching films in single-screen theatres and pursued cinema with passion despite countless hardships. Their success inspires me immensely, and it will also inspire many newcomers without any background in the industry. That is the true success, not just putting collection numbers on a poster. For a love story to achieve these kinds of box-office numbers is remarkable. I believe next weekend’s collections will be even stronger. My congratulations to the entire team, and my heartfelt thanks to the audience for making this possible.”

Cast:
Kiran Abbavaram, Sri Gouri Priya, Thrigun, Siri Hanmanth, Devi Prasad, Karuna Kumar, Mahender, Naresh, Pooja, Pramodini and others.

Technical Crew:

Costume Designer: Devi Parchuri
Art Director: Bhaskar Mudavath
Editor: Santosh Naidu
Director of Photography: Vishwas Daniel
Lyrics: Anantha Sriram
Music Director: Mani Sharma
Executive Producer: Vishala Datla
Line Producer: Shyam Prasad Meka
PRO: Suresh (SK Media), Vamsi Kaka
Marketing: House Full
Co-Producer: Dheeraj Mogilineni
Story: Sai Rajesh
Producers: SKN, Sai Rajesh
Screenplay & Direction: Ravi Namburi