‘Cockroach’ portrays dark side of ‘unusual’ love story
- A bunch of Suneel Kumar Reddy’s movies received Nandi Awards
- His next movie ‘Cockroach’ sheds light on the pain endured by socially-stigmatised couple are in love
- Like his earlier films, his ensuing movie too introduces a new breed of actors
Visakhapatnam: Their ‘shady’ professional backgrounds did not dissuade them from falling in love with each other unconditionally and waging a battle against social stigma to survive in this ‘big-bad-world’. Encapsulating an emotionally-consuming love story between a sex worker and a contract killer into a feature film, director P Suneel Kumar Reddy has come up with another thought-provoking theme ‘Cockroach’. Set to hit theatres across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on March 6, the movie narrates sensitive elements of unconditional love between two individuals that is often looked down upon by society. “The movie portrays dark elements of social discrimination, stigma associated with sex workers, an unusual bond they nurture with people they fall in love with,” shares the Nandi Award winner with The Hans India, a few days before the release of the film. Even in prostitution, Suneel Kumar Reddy, opines, “Those involved in such work need to be treated with respect as they have the right to lead a life of dignity. Unfortunately, not many view them with the respect they deserve.”
Much against the ‘templated’ version followed by a section of filmmakers that includes a couple of fights, romantic duets featuring couples running around trees and a happy-ending tale, Suneel Kumar Reddy believes in bringing forth the harsh reality experienced by marginalised sections through his lens.
Even earlier, the filmmaker made socially-relevant movies such as ‘Sontha Ooru’, ‘Gangaputrulu’, ‘Hero’ and ‘Valasa’.
Like his other movies that speak volumes about less-talked about themes, this time too, the director preferred to narrate a real-life story.
With story, screenplay and direction done by Suneel Kumar Reddy, ‘Cockroach’ is produced by B. Bapiraju under the banner Sri Lakshmi Pictures.
Inspired by real life incidents, fresh faces have been cast for ‘Cockroach’. Abhilash Sunkara, Premasan and Naveen essay the role of contract killers, while Tirrtha, ‘Sontha Ooru’ fame, is playing one of the lead roles in the film that has been certified as ‘A’ by the Central Board of Film Certification.
