Street-Smart Charm, Raw Emotion & High Ambition: Rich – A Basti Boy Love Story Officially Hits the Floors with Star-Studded Blessings!
Stories celebrating the vibrant energy, earthy lingo, and unabashed romantic innocence of Hyderabad's local bastis have always carried a special place in Telugu cinema. Channeling that raw, relatable flavor for contemporary youth, a new feature film titled Rich—carrying the fitting tagline ‘A Basti Boy Love Story’—was officially launched today with a traditional, auspicious pooja ceremony in Hyderabad.
The project brings together rising talents Mohit Pedada and Srijita Ghosh in the lead roles, with filmmaker Raja Narendra wielding the megaphone.
The feature is being jointly bankrolled by Padmanabha Reddy and Margam Gopi under the established banners of MG Arts and IFX Studios Pvt. Ltd., with Mahendra S. Gaikwad stepping in as co-producer. Presented by Baby Aradhya and Adarsh, the grand launch event witnessed notable industry directors including Gopi Mohan, Dasarath, V. Samudra, and G. Ram Prasad, alongside seasoned producer D.S. Rao, lyricist Mittapalli Surender, and comedian Jabardasth Avinash, who extended their best wishes to the team.
"The Interval and Climax Will Give You Chills": Lead Star Mohit Pedada
Expressing immense confidence in director Raja Narendra’s writing, lead actor Mohit Pedada noted that the film avoids routine commercial tropes:
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A Powerhouse Narrative: *"We feel blessed to have landed producers who trusted this story without hesitation. Raja garu hasn't just written a story; he lived and performed every scene during narration. The interval block will operate on an entirely different dramatic plane, while the climax will deliver genuine goosebumps.
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Strong Technical Spine: With chartbuster composer Sai Karthik delivering soulful melodies and Sateesh Reddy’s camera capturing the colorful basti textures, we have a winning package. After this film hits theatres, everyone associated with it is bound to become 'rich' in acclaim and love."*
Multi-Language Ambition & Regular Shoot Timeline
Addressing the gathering, the producers and crew outlined their upcoming production roadmap:
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Shooting Commences Next Month: Producer Padmanabha Reddy shared: "Raja Narendra's narration was gripping and rich in content. Once Margam Gopi garu and composer Sai Karthik came on board, the project gained rapid momentum. Principal photography kicks off next month, and we intend to bring it before the audience at the earliest."
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Hindi Dub on the Cards: Co-producer Mahendra Gaikwad revealed broad distribution plans: "While the film is rooted in local Telugu nativity, the core emotion of love and aspiration is universal. We plan to release the original Telugu version first, followed by a dedicated Hindi dubbed release."
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A Promising Ensemble: Leading lady Srijita Ghosh thanked the creators for entrusting her with an emotionally engaging role, while actress Pooja Kendre promised that her character would provide continuous laughter and comic relief throughout the narrative.
With script rehearsals locked and pre-production wrapped up, Rich – A Basti Boy Love Story heads to sets next month to bring a slice-of-life urban romance to the big screen.
