Naa Nuvve director Jayendra on casting Tamannaah, Kalyan Ram: Their unusual chemistry will surprise audiences

When it was announced that Kalyan Ram and Tamannaah will join hands for a love story, the news raised a lot of eyebrows. For mainstream audiences, this was a very unusual pairing and it generated a degree of curiosity ever since the launch of director Jayendra’s _Naa Nuvve_  which marks the maiden union of the film’s lead pair. Kalyan Ram is known for his mass image and doing larger-than-life roles while Tamannaah, a much established star, is the exact opposite. Jayendra believes it is the ‘unusualness’ factor that differentiates Naa Nuvve from other love stories.

[caption id=“attachment_4471535” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Tamannaah and Nandamuri Kalyan Ram in a still from Naa Nuvve. YouTube[/caption]

In an exclusive chat with Firstpost, Jayendra said, “For any love story to work, it’s the chemistry between the lead actors that really matters. Naa Nuvve is a very simple love story but if you ask me what differentiates it from other love stories, I have to say it’s the unusual chemistry between Kalyan and Tamannaah. As a pair, they’ve attempted something that they’re not quite known for doing on screen. As an experience, it was very different for both of them. The success of the film relies on how people will receive them as a pair.”

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Talking about the unusual casting, he said that it was a very calculated move. “I believe when you cast differently, things on screen happen differently. One of the reasons audiences are looking forward to the film is due to the casting, which has stirred up curiosity. Some want to watch the film because it features a mass hero in a class role. Tamannaah plays an RJ and Kalyan will be seen as a software engineer who is on his way to America.”

Both Kalyan and Tamannaah underwent makeovers for their roles. Jayendra says Kalyan’s makeover will really stand out. “Kalyan couldn’t believe I had considered him for this story. It took him a while to convince himself. He stepped out of his comfort zone and worked quite hard towards getting a new look, body language and also the way he speaks. Both of them had to look slightly younger and they worked really hard to look their parts.”

The film has cinematography by PC Sreeram and the visuals, going by the promos, have already caught the attention of general public. Jayendra and Sreeram have known each other for a long time. The inclusion of the veteran lensman added weightage to the project. “We’ve been travelling together for many years now. We’ve worked together on many ad films and even ran an ad film production house. We complement each other really well and that’s why I prefer working with him. He has brought a fresh perspective to this love story with his visuals, which will really appeal to everybody.”

Jayendra returns to direction after seven years. “My wife had fallen ill and I had to take a break to look after her. I was also busy with my other commitments. I don’t intend to take any more breaks going forward.” The adman-turned-filmmaker has already signed one more project with the producers of Naa Nuvve. Confirming the news, he said, “It’s too early to talk about that project. I have two scripts to choose from – a love story and an action-based script. We’re still figuring out what we should do next. A lot will depend on the result of Naa Nuvve.”

If the industry grapevine is anything to go by, Anushka Shetty has been signed for Jayendra’s next yet untitled project. An official announcement is expected very soon.