‘Rowdy Boys’ is a celebration of college life: Director Sree Harsha Konuganti

Express News Service

Three years after his debut film Husharu (2018), director Sree Harsha Konuganti is arriving with his next film titled Rowdy Boys. The youthful entertainer marks the debut of producer Dil Raju’s nephew Ashish Reddy as the protagonist and also features Anupama Parameswaran, Karthik Ratnam, Tej Kurapati and Komalee Prasad in prominent roles.

Interestingly, the film is inspired by an incident in Harsha’s own college days. “My personal experiences in my academic life inspired me to write Rowdy Boys. The story is a perfect blend of comedy, friendship, gang fights, misunderstandings, ego clashes and, of course, love. The film brings back fond memories of college life and for those still at college, it tells you that these are the most cherished days in your life. I think all of us have these memories because it’s a phase of mixed emotions,” says Harsha.

The director maintains that his storyline will not have any similarities with any film whatsoever. “I understand that people draw comparisons when we make a campus story. However, Rowdy Boys is unique in its own right and is a celebration of college life. It’s a story every youngster would relate to,” he shares adding, “Our film starts with a bang. Especially, the fights between engineering and medical college students are going to be a major attraction. We shot these scenes on 1500 people using four big cranes and rope cameras that were specially brought from Mumbai. It was one of the most challenging episodes of the film.”

The film stars a newcomer in the lead role and the director says it was a deliberate choice because a debutant alone can bring an air of freshness to this story. “After Husharu, Dil Raju garu asked me if I have a youthful script ready in my story bank. When I shared the idea, he liked it and wanted to cast a debutant in the lead role. It was then Ashish’s name popped up in his mind and true to our belief, he did a good job,” reveals the director.

On choosing Anupama Parameswaran as the female lead, Harsha explains, “The story required a seasoned actor, whose maturity should reflect in her looks. We were surprised to see Anupama’s physical transformation after lockdown and did a look test. She was brilliant and was a perfect fit as Ashish’s love interest.”

Harsha explains why he chose Rowdy Boys as the title of his film. “At 17 or 18, every youngster will have craziness in him. We don’t have enough maturity to understand the situations or have the balance to do something in a certain way. When we look back at that wacky behaviour, we may probably feel how silly or wild we might have reacted to some situations. I believe Rowdy Boys is an apt title for this story because it deals with these crazy people,” says the director.

Despite the film being ready in early 2021, the team was willing to release it at an appropriate time. “The initial plan was to release the film for Dasara, but things didn’t work out. After the recent developments, we were convinced that Sankranti is the best time for the film to land in cinemas and I am hoping that the audience will like our work,” concludes Harsha.