As the Gunasekhar-Mahesh Babu film Sainikudu gets ready for release in December, expectations run naturally high. After all, this duo gave us the big hit, Okkadu, a few years ago.

Mahesh has had a couple of hits like Athadu and Pokiri after that as well.

Since Gunasekhar always gives his heroines substantial roles, one wonders if he will do the same for Trisha [Images] in Sainikudu. Irrfan Khan [Images] makes his debut in Telugu films with this movie. He plays a villain.

The movie is produced by C Ashwini Dutt. The music, composed by Harris Jayaraj, is already doing very well.

Mahesh plays a student in Sainikudu. But the film apparently has nothing to do with soldiers, despite the title.

Gunasekhar's Okkadu and Arjun had massive sets of historical monuments created by eminent art directors. The Charminar, in Okkadu, was designed by Ashok Kumar, while National Award-winner Thota Tharani recreated the famous Meenakshi Temple of Madurai in Hyderabad for Arjun. It was so authentically done that it became a place of worship during the course of the shoot. Since the new film is said to be shot in Warangal and Hyderabad, the director may have got the replica of the fort made.

Text: Radhika Rajamani