M9 News journalist Nishant sat down with director Krish Jagarlamudi ahead of the release of Ghaati on September 5. The discussion touched on Krish’s love for books, how literature inspires films, and the importance of paying writers fairly when adapting their stories.
Krish praised Rajamouli and Sukumar for giving proper budgets to writers. He revealed that Ghaati was inspired by a story written by Chintakandi Srinivasa Rao. The narrative focuses on people carrying 150 kilos in the Eastern Ghats, sometimes even transporting ganja.
According to Krish, such a story cannot be made with male leads. He said female characters bring a wider range of emotions, which is why novels often highlight strong women. He added that only Anushka could convincingly perform the role of Seelavathi.
He described Seelavathi as a character who must physically overpower a man weighing 100 kilos. Krish believes only Anushka, fondly called Sweety, could make such action realistic. He also spoke about the untouched locations in the Eastern Ghats and the film’s eight action sequences.
Krish further discussed why Gautamiputra Satakarni was not made on a massive scale with sets and VFX, and reflected on the NTR Biopic. For the first time, he opened up about Hari Hara Veeramallu and why its outcome left him disappointed.
The director said only 30–40% of what he filmed was used in the final cut. The Delhi Darbar portions will appear in the second part. He explained that his story and treatment were altered after another director took over the project.
