Director Srinivas Manne, who earlier impressed critics with Katha starring Genelia, is returning to the big screen with the intense horror thriller Eesha. Backed by hit-makers Bunny Vaas and Vamsi Nandipati (of Little Hearts and Raju Weds Rambai fame), the film releases in theatres on December 12 under Vamsi Nandipati Entertainments and Bunny Vaas Works, produced by Hem Venkateswara Rao and presented by K.L. Damodar Prasad under HVR Productions.
Headlined by Akhil Raj and Trigun, with Hebah Patel as the female lead and Siri Hanumanth, Babloo, and Prithviraj in key roles, Eesha marks a significant return for Srinivas after a personal break. He recalls that while Katha did not become a big commercial hit, its appreciation and Genelia’s Nandi Award kept his passion alive. He stayed creatively active, developing scripts, closely following Korean and Hollywood cinema, and keeping pace with new trends in lighting, sound, and craft, while still believing that strong storytelling remains the core.
Describing what makes Eesha different from routine horror films, Srinivas says it blends scares with layers of life, death, divinity, creation, and balance. The narrative ties horror to philosophy and belief, questioning how people dismiss “superstition” until they encounter something themselves. He emphasizes that they have focused heavily on makeup, costumes, lighting, and sound design to match the weight of the content.
On the fear factor, he notes that Eesha has multiple shocking stretches and isn’t built on cheap jump scares. The censor board reportedly found it very frightening yet appreciated its strong narrative, and the director openly advises that those with weak hearts should think twice before watching. At the same time, he believes even children and younger audiences, already exposed to Korean horror, will engage with the film.
Srinivas is confident about the film’s reception, citing the dedicated audience for the horror genre and praising the conviction of Bunny Vaas and Vamsi Nandipati in taking the film to theatres. He feels the success of Raju Weds Rambai has boosted curiosity around Akhil Raj, but stresses that every character in Eesha has been designed to entertain and impact viewers.
Looking ahead, Srinivas says Eesha is just one step in his broader vision: he has scripts ready across multiple genres and intends to keep experimenting while staying rooted in strong, emotionally driven stories.
