'The more, the merrier' is the mantra that director Chethan Kumar seems to have followed with his upcoming commercial action-entertainer, Bharaate. The film features Sriimurali in a face-off with 17 antagonists. Sai Kumar, Ravi Shankar, and Ayyappa P Sharma — brothers in real life — feature as the main villains, Ballala, Pallava, and Nayaka, respectively.

“The three brothers have created a stamp in the south Indian film industry as fine actors with their signature style, and are well-known dubbing artistes as well. Bringing the trio together in one film for the first time is an achievement in itself. At the same time, it is also a big responsibility,” says Chethan, who had to balance their screen presence, weight of their roles, dialogues, get-ups, and the overall presentation.

With music by Arjun Janya, the film brings together 47 actors in all. Bharaate, produced by Suprith, will be the second film for Sreeleela, who made her debut with AP Arjun’s KISS. The film also features Tara and Telugu actor Sumanth as part of the ensemble cast.

The makers have fixed October 18 as the release date, and an official announcement will be made once they get clearance from the censor board. A trailer is expected to be released soon.