“We believe that Chennai Love Story will earn us widespread appreciation and establish a great identity for our production banners.”: Cult Producer SKN

“We believe that Chennai Love Story will earn us widespread appreciation and establish a great identity for our production banners.”: Cult Producer SKN

Journalist-turned-cult producer SKN has carved a niche for himself with successful films like Taxiwala and Baby. Known for backing strong content without compromising on quality, he believes in providing filmmakers with everything their stories demand while also creating innovative promotional campaigns to take those films closer to audiences. After delivering blockbuster successes with content-driven cinema, SKN is now bringing Chennai Love Story to the audience.

The film stars Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya in the lead roles and is produced by SKN and Sai Rajesh under the Amrutha Productions and Mass Movie Makers banners. Sai Rajesh has provided the story, while Ravi Namburi directs the film. Melody Brahma Mani Sharma has composed the music. Chennai Love Story is set to release on the 24th of this month. During a recent interview, SKN shared several highlights about the film.

Our lead couple is Telugu, but they live in Chennai, which is why we titled the film Chennai Love Story. After the blockbuster success of Baby, audience expectations from us as filmmakers increased significantly. We wanted to return only with a genuinely good film, so we took nearly a year. The story and screenplay narrated by National Award-winning writer Sai Rajesh impressed us immensely, and we decided to produce it together.

We are currently focused on the Telugu release. We are still deciding whether to release the Tamil version in the same week or wait another week or two, as several big Tamil films are scheduled for release around the same time
 
Kiran Abbavaram has done complete justice to the character we envisioned. Until now, audiences have mostly seen him in boy-next-door and mass-oriented roles. This film showcases a new level of maturity in his performance. I firmly believe his name will feature in the nominations for all the major awards this year. He entered the industry without any background, established himself as a hero, and is now introducing new talent as a producer. He has also begun directing films. During the making of this project, I witnessed his incredible passion for cinema firsthand.

Everyone knows that Sai Rajesh’s stories always give strong importance to female characters. Once we finalized the story, we spent considerable time discussing who could do justice to such a powerful role. The film actually begins with the heroine’s introduction. We strongly believe in encouraging Telugu talent, so we chose Sri Gouri Priya. She has delivered a remarkable performance, and the emotions portrayed by her character will stay with audiences for a long time.
 
Whether it is first love or second love, both become part of our lives. Just because someone doesn’t find success in their first love doesn’t mean they can never fall in love again. Life always moves forward. Baby was built around the theme of first love, while this film celebrates the beauty and significance of second love. This isn’t a tragic film. After the success of Baby, we took three years to make this film because we wanted it to carry our own distinct identity.
 
The seaside portions were filmed on the beaches of Chirala and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, while some sequences were shot in Puducherry. Whenever the story specifically demanded Chennai, we shot there, including important scenes near the Lighthouse. We also filmed several sequences inside the Chennai Metro.
 
A producer decides the scale of a film based on the strength of its story. Since this is an emotional film, visual beauty was equally important to enhance those emotions. We waited patiently for natural weather conditions, including rainfall and sunrise, to capture the visuals authentically. The film was shot across Chennai, Puducherry, Visakhapatnam, Chirala, and several other locations. Naturally, this increased our shooting schedule. Our only goal was to achieve the emotional impact the story deserved. Of course, it’s possible to make a film with the same quality in fewer days, that’s an art, and I’m still learning it.
 
Baby earned the reputation of being a cult love story. I believe Chennai Love Story will be remembered as a classic love story. The moment Mani Sharma garu heard the story, he immediately agreed to compose the music. We all know how beautifully he creates melodies where the tunes are captivating and the lyrics remain meaningful. Every song in this film has been written by Anantha Sriram, and every lyric can be clearly understood and enjoyed. Mani Sharma once again proves that he is unmatched when it comes to composing mature music that beautifully conveys the emotions of the story.
 
Director Ravi Namburi is like a brother to us and has been associated with our team for a long time. He previously narrated a web series story to us and also worked on Baby. We’re delighted to be making this film with him. Ravi is an exceptionally talented technician and writes excellent dialogues. Sai Rajesh and Ravi have collaborated closely over the years, constantly sharing ideas. Sai Rajesh always gives creative freedom to his team, and that is one of the reasons he has earned National Awards.

Once a film releases on Friday, it belongs entirely to the audience. Many films have been released since Baby, but we consistently promoted this project as coming from the makers of Colour Photo and Baby, which created strong expectations among audiences. Coming from a media background, I understand the importance of promotion, so we’ve conducted an intensive campaign. Audiences in towns and villages are also eagerly waiting for the film’s release. We have successfully created that impact, and I’m happy we’re giving the film a strong release.

Whenever path-breaking films like Arjun Reddy, Animal, or Baby are released, they often generate controversy. Chennai Love Story doesn’t contain any controversial content. It is a film driven primarily by emotional depth.

OTT platforms do influence theatrical release dates, but they usually communicate those plans to producers months in advance. Personally, I haven’t faced any pressure regarding this. Some producers have spoken about such difficulties, but our OTT deal for Chennai Love Story has already been completed. The platform itself will officially announce the details.

As producers, our responsibility is to make the film without compromise. We can never predict how much it will collect at the box office. If I make collection predictions now, people may call it overconfidence. However, I’m confident that this film will reach a wide audience, earn widespread appreciation, and bring us the same goodwill that Baby did. I strongly believe Chennai Love Story will establish a unique identity for our production banners.

We are not increasing ticket prices for Chennai Love Story. Families and young audiences are our primary target, and we want everyone to be able to watch the film at affordable prices. More than earning additional revenue through higher ticket prices, our greatest satisfaction will come from seeing more people experience the film. I also have a few exciting projects ready, and I’ll be announcing them very soon.