Sai Kiran Adivi: Operation Gold Fish sequel is on the cards

Filmmaker Sai Kiran Adivi is ready with his next, Operation Gold Fish, a romantic action-thriller starring Aadi Sai Kumar. The film narrates the plight of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, the director tells us, adding that it is a contemporary story based on true incidents. "I was moved by these stories from Kashmir which go back more than 70 years — the Kandahar Hijacking and several other incidents — and around three years ago, decided to make a film with a mix of fact and fiction. I have incorporated a love story into this, which is also inspired by a real incident, and made a cross-genre film." 

He calls Operation Gold Fish a screenplay-based film. "It depicts the unexpected events that happen in the lives of a gang of friends and an NSG commando, who is also a Kashmiri Pandit. The film starts off presenting how Article 370 and Article 35A were being misused by some people. It's almost like our government has scripted the climax by passing the historic bill," says Sai Kiran.

Sai, who is also producing this film, is grateful to his partners Padmanabha Reddy, Keshav, Katta Aashish Reddy, Damodar Yadav, and Degala Satish, and his wife Prathibha Adivi, for their faith in him and his story. "I had only Rs 3500 when I started working on Operation Gold Fish. But I was determined to make a good film. Luckily, I have got the best team, who believed in my story and my abilities. I wouldn’t have been able to complete this film with a budget of Rs 6.5 crore without their support," says the director. 

He says that the characters in the film are inspired by real people. "Amit Shah's rise from a student leader in RSS to becoming a Union Home Minister has inspired the design of Rao Ramesh's character. Similarly, the roles of Ghazi Baba (played by Abburi Ravi) and Farooq Iqbal Iraqi (played by Manoj Nandam) were etched keeping in mind a top-ranking commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed of the same name and Burhan Wani, respectively," he reveals.

Ask him why he chose Aadi Sai Kumar for the lead role, and he explains, "Aadi's eyes and expressions convey a lot of intensity. He looks masculine and needed only a little makeover to get into the skin of the character. I was quite apprehensive if he would accept the role as his character has no songs, no heroine and is serious throughout the film. But he agreed to be a part of the film at our first meeting and gave his cent per cent."  

The film was shot in Kashmir, Lambasangi, Araku, Kakinada, and Hyderabad. Sai Kiran says acquiring permission for the shooting in the sensitive areas of Kashmir proved difficult. "It was quite a challenging experience as there were a lot of restrictions imposed. But, we took permission from the Indian Army and Government of India to shoot in places like Kargil and Ladakh among others. It has been a memorable experience as Kashmir is one of the beautiful places in the world and the locals were really good people."

The director, known for making wholesome family and youthful entertainers, says he wants his films to be meaningful. "I always want the audience to remember me as a sensible director. I will quit filmmaking if I make a bad film. I want to tell stories that are blend emotion, drama and entertainment," he asserts.

Sai doesn't rule out the possibility of a sequel to Operation Gold Fish. "It is definitely on the cards. I am ready and prepared to work on it as it's a film that is close to my heart," he signs off.