“12A Railway Colony” Will Shock and Thrill Audiences — Allari Naresh
Allari Naresh’s upcoming thriller “12A Railway Colony” is creating strong buzz with its gripping promotional content. Directed by debutant Nani Kasa ragadda, the film is produced by Srinivasa Chitturi under Srinivasa Silver Screen, with Dr. Anil Vishwanath as showrunner. He has also written the story, screenplay, and dialogues. Kamakshi Bhaskarla plays the female lead. The film is set for release on November 21.
How excited are you about 12A Railway Colony?
This is my 63rd release. I feel nervous and excited for every film, but this time I’m extremely confident. We had a fantastic team, and I genuinely feel, “Tomorrow is my day.”
What was the element that attracted you most to the story?
I wanted to try a completely new genre. I’ve never done a suspense thriller before.
The film has an interesting paranormal tinge, and it is inspired by a real incident that happened in Hyderabad. Anil crafted an extraordinary screenplay to adapt it for the big screen.
When Anil narrated the story, especially the second half, I was shocked.
It reminded me of the screenplay style of Maharaja — scenes that begin somewhere and subtly connect at the end.
Here, three to four storylines run parallelly, creating a strong mind-game effect.
Very few Telugu films have attempted such a screenplay. If this film succeeds, people will definitely discuss its screenplay for years. I am confident the audience will consider this as one of the best films of my career.
Was this always the title?
Yes. The story unfolds inside a house named 12A.
When we discussed adding a colony name, Anil suggested “Railway Colony,” which connects well with everyone. The whole film happens in that backdrop. The title fits perfectly.
Tell us about the heroine, Kamakshi.
Kamakshi’s father once worked with my father. She used to visit our film sets during her intermediate studies. She previously acted in my film Maredumilli.
For this film, we needed a simple, middle-class, girl-next-door character. Even though Anil had already worked with her in Polimera, we still conducted a special photoshoot. Once we felt she fit the character perfectly, she was finalized.
She’s a Telugu girl, so there were no language barriers. She’s extremely talented — she even works in direction and writing departments. She, Anil, and Nani are all close friends. Truly multi-talented.
We also conducted workshops for the film.
We often hear that you want to direct a film…
Yes, I’ve always wanted to direct. But direction demands a lot of time.
If I direct, I want to make a memorable film… something that stays with the audience like DDLJ.
What is more challenging — comedy or serious roles?
For me, comedy is harder.
Comedy needs perfect timing. Even while performing the scene with seriousness, the audience must laugh — balancing that is tough.
My father did mostly comedy films, so I learned a lot. And working with so many comedians over the years helped me immensely.
You speak in Telangana dialect in this film. How was that experience?
The story is set in Warangal.
We brought in a dialect coach named Ajay, and I underwent workshops with him.
This is my first time speaking Telangana slang, so I put in a lot of effort.
Usually, I finish dubbing in a day, but for this film, it took four days. Every dialogue was checked carefully to deliver the dialect correctly.
Tell us about your character.
I play Karthik, who works for a local MLA.
He’s one of those “four brains in one head” types — sharp, quirky, and unpredictable.
He and his gang live a carefree life until one incident changes everything.
The film is about how that incident transforms him.
Your combination with Bheems is always a hit. How was he this time?
Bheems is extremely talented. After a long time, he got a well-deserved break in the industry.
This is the first time both of us are working on a thriller. He took it as a challenge and delivered with great passion.
What genres do you want to explore in the future?
I want to do a horror film.
And I also dream of doing a silent comedy — a movie without dialogues that still makes people laugh.
Did the result of Bachala Malli disappoint you?
Not at all. It was a very good film, and that character is someone who never changes regardless of circumstances. I received great applause for it. I’m proud of that movie.
Any plans to do a web series?
I’ve heard two or three scripts, but none impressed me.
If a good comedy web series comes my way, I’ll definitely do it.
Do you feel that after your father’s generation, writers/directors doing full-length comedy films have reduced?
Comedy is extremely difficult — writing, directing, and performing it.
Audiences have also changed a lot. Today, everything is very sensitive.
If Seema Sastry were made now, it wouldn’t get released (laughs).
Nowadays, people prefer organic comedy. Prepared jokes don’t work; you have to bring fresh humor.
I’ve done a series of serious films recently, but my next two projects are full-length comedies.
About the producers?
I worked with Srinivasa Chitturi garu on Sami Ranga. He’s a fantastic producer — quiet, straightforward, and uncompromising.
On the release day of Sami Ranga, he told me, “Let’s do another film soon.”
We heard several scripts, and one day, Anil narrated this story. We loved it instantly and began the project. Even before this film released, he already committed to doing another film with me.
Your upcoming films?
Alcohol will release in January.
A new film under the Hasya–Annapurna banner begins this month.
Another comedy film will start in January.
Both upcoming films are full-length comedies.
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