Action in Hello will mesmerise audiences, says Nagarjuna while confirming 22 Dec release

Actor-producer Akkineni Nagarjuna is a bundle of nerves ahead of the release of his younger son Akhil’s second Telugu outing Hello, which has been directed by Vikram Kumar of _13B a_nd 24 fame.

Speaking to reporters in a press meet in Hyderabad on Wednesday, he opened up about the film which is confirmed to hit the screens on  22 December worldwide. “We’re extremely happy with the response to the film’s teaser. The trailer, which was released last week, clocked nearly 8 million views across social media platforms and it has given us hope and confidence," said Nagarjuna.

Speaking on the occasion, he confirmed that the film’s audio launch will happen on  10 in Vishakhapatnam’s MGM Grounds on a grand scale.

[caption id=“attachment_4248979” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The poster of Hello.[/caption]

“It’s going to be a one-of-its-kind event. Akhil will sing and perform the song he has crooned in the film. I wanted it to be an event to remember so I’ve told him to prepare well. It’ll be a two-hour grand event. They’ve issued a cyclone threat but let’s still hope nothing affects us,” he said.

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As part of the film’s promotional tour, Nagarjuna reveaed that Akhil will leave for the US on 12 December. “I’ve asked him to go to the US for promotions. I was supposed to go with him but I’m stuck with post-production and release work. We’re fighting a war; racing against time to wrap everything up and get the film ready on time. Akhil will be there on December 15, 16 and 17 and meet audiences. US has become a mini Telugu state and it’s a very important market for our films,” said Nagarjuna.

Following the debacle of his son’s maiden film Akhil, Nagarjuna has pinned high hopes on Hello. “When Vikram brought Manam, I wasn’t sure if he could execute such a complicated story. But his screenplay made it look so simple. He spent 8-9 months on developing the script of Hello, and I’m happy with the way the film has come out. It’s a beautiful love story with high dose of action. We wanted the action to be very different. We roped in Bob Brown, a stunt coordinator from Hollywood and he choreographed some amazing action episodes which we shot for 30 days. There’s one action stretch that unfolds completely on rooftops of Krishna Nagar in Hyderabad. Audiences will be mesmerised by the action in the film. We even shot one action episode in the Metro,” Nagarjuna said.

Talking about Akhil’s work, the proud father said he has worked really hard and that audiences will be the best judge: “He patiently waited for two years for a good project. I’m proud of what he’s done in the film.”

Hello, produced on a lavish budget, marks the debut of actress Kalyani, daughter of filmmaker Priyadarshan and yesteryear actress Lissy. Nagarjuna is all praise for the debutante as well. “Kalyani has done well. A lot of people don’t know this but Lissy was supposed to make her Telugu debut with me many years ago. Somehow the plan didn’t materialise but she’s happy her daughter is making her debut with my son,” he said.

Hello will release a day after Nani’s MCA, but Nagarjuna doesn’t see it as competition. “Five films are releasing on Sankranti 2018. If theatres can accommodate five films for a festival, I don’t think Hello and MCA coming together should have any issue,” he said.