Its’s Not ‘Fear’ Initially But… : Director Dr. Haritha Gogineni

Heroine Vedhika plays the lead role in the movie Fear, which is produced by Dr. Vanki Penchalayya and AR Abhi under the banner of Dattatreya Media, with Sujatha Reddy as co-producer. Directed by Dr. Haritha Gogineni, Fear is a suspense thriller, and Arvind Krishna appears in a special role. Before its theatrical release, Fear has already won over 70 awards at various prestigious international film festivals, setting a new record.

The movie is slated for a grand theatrical release on the 14th of this month. In this context, Director Dr. Haritha Gogineni interacted with media about the film shared her thoughts in a recent interview:

– “I have always loved movies. I grew up watching many films and have a habit of reading books. Over time, I started writing my own stories and developed a keen interest in direction. The idea for Fear came three years ago, though we were simultaneously working on the Lucky Lakshman project. Once that was completed, we could fully focus on this film.”

– “Initially, we approached a few other actresses before Vedhika. However, they were unavailable for at least a year. Not wanting to wait that long, we explored other options. Vedhika has previously impressed audiences with her performances in movies like Muni and Kanchana 3. We felt she would be the perfect fit for the role. After hearing the story, Vedhika immediately agreed to join the project. When I envisioned the character, Vedika seemed like the perfect choice.”

– “The movie deals with fear, so we initially thought about giving it a title related to fear. However, we wanted something that would be catchy and have a broader reach, which is why we settled on Fear. Suspense thriller films have universal appeal, and the title has helped us gain recognition at film festivals. While we’re proud of the awards we’ve won, it’s the approval of our Telugu audience that will truly make us happy.”

– “We had initially planned to release Fear in multiple languages. However, even though we announced the release date first, two other films also chose the same week for their release. Due to time constraints, we were unable to promote or censor the movie in other languages. Therefore, we will be releasing it in Telugu on the 14th of this month, and later, we’ll release it in other languages one by one.”

– “After completing the film, we showed it to people in our industry circle, including directors, producers, and editors. Their feedback was overwhelming, with many commenting that the film didn’t feel like it was made by a new director. They praised the high quality of the production, and that made us very happy.”

– “We approached the making of Fear with careful planning. Every scene was meticulously thought out, ensuring the right length for each shot. We had about 2 hours of footage, from which we trimmed eight minutes in the editing process. When a director is clear about the vision, there’s no room for waste in the making of the film, which also eases the burden on the producer. Even with the actors’ schedules, we gave them a clear timeline of how many days we would need, and stuck to it.”

– “Unlike typical suspense thrillers, Fear offers a unique experience. Generally, family audiences tend to avoid suspense thrillers, but we believe our film will impress everyone.”

– “I was completely satisfied after seeing Vedhika’s performance. She brought the role I had imagined to life perfectly. Arvind Krishna, though his role is small, brought great depth to his character when we asked him to that he has less screen time. Despite the short duration, his character is crucial to the story.”

– “Working with Anup Rubens has been a wonderful experience. Even though he’s worked with big stars, he was humble and easy to collaborate with. He did an amazing job on the background music for Fear.”

– “If you put in the effort and make a good, honest film, the audience will appreciate it. While big-budget films rely on stars, smaller films need solid content. Throughout the making of this movie, I received many suggestions about how things should be done for theaters and OTT platforms. But I stayed true to the story I wanted to tell, without adding anything just to meet expectations.”

– “We are working hard to secure as many prominent theaters as possible. While the number of theaters may be limited initially, if we receive good word-of-mouth, we will expand the release.”

– “I already have storylines ready for multiple genres for the new year. Along with a strong action movie, we are also planning a comedy entertainer.”