Versatile actor Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar has now stepped into direction with her debut film Saraswathi. The trailer of the film was unveiled on Saturday at an event held in Hyderabad.

Speaking at the launch, Varalakshmi revealed that she first heard the story nearly four years ago. “Sai Madhav Burra garu narrated this story to me during the time of Krack. We lost touch with it for a while, but after four years, we revisited the story and decided to make the film,” she said.

She added that the desire to direct had always been on her mind. “After acting for several years, I wanted to take a step forward and direct something that truly reflected my thoughts. When this story came back to me, we developed it further. Saraswathi strongly portrays female strength, and that is what drew me to it,” Varalakshmi explained.

The film features an ensemble cast of senior actors including Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Priyamani, Kishore, Murali Sharma, and others. Talking about working with them, Varalakshmi said, “They are all highly experienced performers. I didn’t have to explain much — once I conveyed the emotion I wanted, they delivered it effortlessly. I feel blessed to have them in my first directorial.”

Explaining the name of her production banner, Dosa Diaries, Varalakshmi said it represents a sense of place and identity. “When you think of dosa, you immediately think of South India. My husband also loves dosa, so we felt the name perfectly reflected who we are,” she shared with a smile.

Varalakshmi clarified that Saraswathi cannot be confined to a single genre. “The film has elements of a courtroom drama, a thriller, and deep emotional moments. It blends multiple genres into one cohesive narrative,” she said. She further added, “Once audiences start watching the film, they will be completely immersed. I can confidently say they won’t even feel the urge to look at their phones.”