Neeraja Kona, the stylist-turned-writer-director, is stepping into the director’s chair with Telusu Kada, a romantic comedy headlined by Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Raashii Khanna and Srinidhi Shetty. With the film gearing up for a Diwali release on October 17, Neeraja has begun promotions and opened up about the advantage of Siddhu’s lingering DJ Tillu image which turned a problem for him in his last release, Jack.
In a recent conversation with journalist Prema, Neeraja said, “The fact that audiences are still seeing Tillu in Siddhu is to our advantage because Siddhu performed as Tillu but he actually speaks like Varun (the protagonist in Telusu Kada). This is the angle nobody saw or remembers and that’s why we are banking on its freshness.”
She was quick to point out Siddhu's strength as a writer. “I call him Anna on set in a funny way. I think the actor in Siddhu draws from the writer in him. He is the dialogue writer and the boy brought a lot to the table,” she explained, highlighting how his contribution shaped the voice of the film.
Telusu Kada, produced by TG Vishwa Prasad and Krithi Prasad under People Media Factory, places Siddhu in the middle of a love triangle with Raashii Khanna and KGF star Srinidhi Shetty. The story sees his character Varun drawn to both women, promising a mix of humour, charm and messy emotions.
For Neeraja Kona, already known as one of Telugu cinema’s leading stylists, the film marks a significant creative leap. She is backed by a strong technical team: cinematography by Gnana Shekhar, editing by National Award-winner Naveen Nooli, production design by Avinash Kolla and costumes by Sheetal Sharma.
The Diwali window is expected to be competitive, with Telusu Kada releasing alongside Kiran Abbavaram’s K-Ramp. Siddhu’s last outing was Jack, directed by Bhaskar, while Srinidhi Shetty was recently seen opposite Nani in HIT 3. Raashii Khanna’s previous Telugu release was Thank You (2022).
