Director Karthik Gattamneni is passionate about 'Eagle' (to be released on February 9), one of the biggest movies in the career of Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja. He says that the film, produced by People Media Factory's TG Vishwa Prasad, unfolds on a large canvas. "The climax was supposed to be shot over seven nights. It ended up being shot over 16-17 nights," he reveals, giving a glimpse of the scale of production involved.
"Our audience love it when the hero fights for a larger cause by going to the extent of putting himself on the line. Ravi Teja's character is into farming but the issue he fights for has global ramifications. The intention is to make Tollywood's 'Rambo' or 'Terminator' with a desi soul. This is a meaningful action drama," Karthik adds.
Does the film have a real-life inspiration? "Years ago, an incident that happened in a cartel in South America was exposed by a local reporter. An individual was living on a hill. Even those who lived around that hill didn't know about him. Even the locals were shocked when the lid was blown. Anupama Parameswaran plays such an intrepid reporter in the film," Karthik reveals.
When asked why Ravi Teja was chosen for the lead role, Karthik says that the hero must look like he has gone through a lot in life. "The male protagonist must be someone who has experienced pain in life. Such a character can't be played by a youngster. Without uttering any word, he makes you believe that he is seething with rage and is about to create havoc," Karthik says.
"The secondary cast was extremely important for 'Eagle'. Think of films like 'Vikram', where the protagonist is seen through the eyes of other characters. Navdeep's character becomes that voice in the first half in 'Eagle'. Once you see the film and rewatch the trailer, you will realize that the trailer gave away a lot," Karthik says, adding that the story is also propelled by a girl child.
The film's music is by Davzand. Kavya Thapar, Srinivas Avasarala, Vinay Rai, Ajay Ghosh, Praneeta Patnaik and others are playing different roles.
