‘The Girlfriend’ will surprise audiences with its intensity: Director Rahul Ravindran
National Crush Rashmika Mandanna’s upcoming romantic drama ‘The Girlfriend’ directed by Rahul Ravindran. The film stars Dheekshith Shetty in the lead role and is presented by Allu Aravind under Geetha Arts and Dheeraj Mogilineni Entertainment.
Speaking about the film, Rahul said, “I wrote this story based on an incident from my college days. A song I heard back then inspired me to develop the idea further. When Allu Aravind Garu read the story, he suggested we make it a theatrical release instead of OTT. Rashmika and I decided to begin this project right away.”
On Rashmika’s reaction, he shared, “Rashmika called me two days after reading the script and said it’s a story that needs to be told. She connected deeply with it. I also shared it with Samantha, Vennela Kishore, Adivi Sesh, and Sujeeth for feedback. Samantha even felt the story would work better with another actress.”
Addressing misconceptions about the film, Rahul added, “We intentionally misdirected the audience with the teaser and trailer. The real drama unfolds only in theatres. It’s not a preachy film but one that makes audiences reflect.”
When asked if it’s woman-centric, he said, “Both the hero and heroine are equally important, though it’s told from the heroine’s perspective. Rashmika encouraged me to present her exactly as written.”
On casting Dheekshith Shetty, Rahul explained, “I noticed him during Dasara promotions. He had a charm that fit the character perfectly.” ‘The Girlfriend’ is all set for a grand release on November 7 in multiple languages.
