Sripathy Karri can’t hide his excitement following the positive response to the teaser of his debut directorial Hulchul. Bursting with confidence, the newcomer says, “I am ecstatic with the response and am filled with hope and positivity for the film.”

Shot extensively in Hyderabad and Dubai, the film features Rudraksh Uthkam and Dhanya Balakrishna in lead roles. “It is about a youngster who consumes a mysterious blue-coloured drink called Hulchul. His life changes and he ends up in a tricky situation fighting with memory and reality, but not hallucination, though.” Describing the film as a blend of genres, he adds, “Hulchul is really a genre-bender – It's a thriller, an emotional film, a love story and a laugh riot.”

Sripathy, who has also provided the dialogues and screenplay for the film, learnt his craft from director-actor Anand Ravi, whom he assisted in Parents. “I learnt about the nuances of filmmaking from Anand Ravi. He gave me complete freedom and involved me in all aspects of production. It was before the commencement of Napoleon that the script for Hulchul materialised.”  

The two-hour film, produced by Ganesh Kolluri, boasts of skilled technicians. “My producer helped me in getting Prawin Pudi and Raj Thota of Arjun Reddy fame on board as the editor and the cinematographer, respectively. And we also have Hanuman and Bharat as the music composers. The film is in the last leg of post-production and we will announce the release date shortly,” signs off Sripathy.