Genre: Devotional
Banner: AA Arts
Cast: Raasi, Sijju, Jayaprakash Reddy, Benerjee, Balaji, Subbaraya Sarma, Sakunthala, Rajitha and Harika
Music: Vandemataram Srinivas
Photography: A Vijay Kumar
Dialogues: Dasam Venkat Rao
Screenplay - Direction: Sanjeeva
Producer: K Mahendra
Theatrical Release Date: March 2002

I never make films according to the exiting trend. I rather enjoy breaking it and setting a new one. I make movies in my own method, on my lines of thought and generally meet with success, smiles K. Mahendra, who likes to call himself the presenter for the films he produces under A.A. Arts' banner. The latest venture, "Nagaprathishta," a devotional, is being directed by new-comer Sanjeeva, in which Rasi and Sijju play the lead. The shooting of the film was recently completed, with the picturization of a song.

"Though it is a devotional, the story has in it all the navarasas. Rasi plays a devotee as well as a Nagadevatha. It is not a dual role in the conventional sense. She enacts two distinct roles - the devotee is a firm believer in the powers of the Nagadevatha. She finds no temple dedicated for the snake goddess in her native village. So she installs an idol of the goddess, and a temple is built around it, which becomes a boon to the villagers. But at the same time, a curse befalls her.

"In films of this kind, it is generally the snake which seeks revenge on man. But in this film, a man vows to destroy the snake goddess, and acquires supernatural powers, and provokes the goddess to fight with him. This, and the way in which the goddess assumes the form of a human and saves her devotee from her tormentor, forms the thrilling climax. Rami Reddy plays the mantrik.

"The scenes portraying Rasi and Sijju after their marriage show subtle sentiments. We have filmed three songs, one of them at a specially erected set in Annapurna Studios on Rasi and other dancers. The second song has been filmed at the Kesaragutta temple. Another song, a snake dance, is the highlight of the movie, observes Mahendra. He says he has made three movies in this genre earlier, during the 1990s, but this film is fresh in both presentation and content.

Sanjeeva has had a stint as an assistant director under the same banner, before he branched out into making commercials and tele-serials. "We have included a few real life incidents that took place at some temples. Graphics have been introduced wherever necessary".

Rasi says she has donned two distinct roles in the same film for the first time, in her career. "The first half depicts me in all my innocence, and in the second half, I play a nagini. It was a challenging task, and a thrilling feeling crept into me while I was playing the role of the goddess." Jayaprakash Reddy, Benerjee, Balaji, Subbaraya Sarma, Sakunthala, Rajitha and Harika are also in the cast.

Story is by A.A. Arts' unit, dialogue by Dasam Venkat Rao, lyrics by Sahiti, music by 'Vandemataram' Srinivas, choreography by Shivashankar, cinematography by A. Vijaykumar, editing by Murali Ramyya. J. Udayakumar is the production controller.

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