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F inally it's happening. Movie aficionados will soon go through a serendipitous moment on September 30, when they will watch a true blue Telugu story unfold on screen. The film will bring to life characters in history whoattained martyrdom, who hadn't tasted freedom post-independence in Hyderabad, and suffered oppression at the hands of the Razakkars and our own feudal lords.

Director Vijayendra Prasad says with certainty that those who see Rajanna will know the hardship the people went through then and will learn to value our freedom. How did the idea of making a historical film trigger? “Writer Ashok Teja and myself were travelling together and he narrated the story of his father Hanumanthu, a freedom fighter who hailed from Telangana. After 1947 when the country became free, he returned to the Telugu land only to see that the people still lived like slaves and freedom was a mere illusion. When 60 Razakkars came and fired at the 500 farmers, the rest fled with fear. A dhobi shouted “ yentra choostaaru veyyi .” Hanumanthu a lyricist sang “ veyyi veyyi debbaki debba” spontaneously and people revolted. Nagarjuna plays Rajanna,the inspirational character in the struggle that lasted for 13 months.”

The director loves history and begins any story with the hero's name as Raja; that explains why he named his son Rajamouli and why replaced Hanumanthu with Rajanna. He explains the reason for choosing Nagarjuna for the role — “When I imagined Rajanna I saw him as a tall person with long hair. I wanted a ferocious look. Nagarjuna fit the bill perfectly, also he has the right frame and has the quality of bringing out sympathy which is essential to the film.” Supriya, producer of the movie says she had tears in her eyes every time she heard the story and feels that it is the right time for Nag to do the film and is confident that he could pull the film off fabulously. She adds, “It isn't an art film, but we had to be very careful to retain the authenticity even while giving it a commercial touch. We shot most parts of it in rural AP and once we noticed a telephone wire hanging in the backdrop of a sand dune, now we are in the process of clouding that as it doesn't gel with history. A huge set of five acres, that of a rustic village predated to the fifties, was created. We had two sets of material for costumes the silk for the rich and the cottons for the poor. Usually I'm very particular about the way money is spent but for this film there have been no stops. The budget is big as I felt the story requires a particular look. Ravinder the art director handled the production design.”

Vijayendra Prasad stresses that the song Veyyi Veyyi Debbaki Debba is the highpoint of the film and cites the example of how Vande Mataram united all the Indians. “The song is an offspring of anguish, untold suffering and agony of people suffering for years. My son Rajamouli handled the picturisation of this song. The ten-year-old Annie who plays one of the important roles in the movie is a revelation. I didn't take her seriously when I first saw her, I gave her a dialogue and she bowled me over. She is a switch on and switch off actor.”

Supriya adds that they have sought permission to shoot in Delhi in Teen Murthi Bhavan and other important places because in the story Annie goes all the way to the capital, orphaned, hapless and someone has told her the big Babus in Delhi could have a solution and can put their misery to an end. Finally as the story wraps up, one hears that Ashok Teja had goose bumps watching Rajannain Hanumanthu's shoes.