Story writer, director and producer Sai Rajesh has expressed his gratitude to audiences after Chennai Love Story crossed the ₹50 crore gross mark at the worldwide box office. The film, which he wrote and co-produced with SKN, continues its successful theatrical run in its second week, giving the filmmaker another major milestone after Baby.
Speaking during a media interaction, Sai Rajesh said the film’s success belongs entirely to the audience. He admitted that the team faced a wave of negativity on social media during the first two days of release, with several claims suggesting the film was not being accepted. However, he believes the strong box office collections proved that audiences connected with the emotional story despite the online criticism.
Sai Rajesh revealed that he never planned to direct Chennai Love Story himself. While he was busy directing the Hindi remake of Baby, the project was delayed, giving him time to focus on producing the film. Director Ravi took charge of the project, and Sai Rajesh said he soon realised the film was in capable hands. After watching key sequences during production, he felt Ravi had elevated the story beyond what he had originally imagined.
Reflecting on his filmmaking journey, Sai Rajesh spoke about using the name “Steven Shankar” during the early days of Hrudaya Kaleyam and Kobbarimatta. The name was inspired by Steven Spielberg and director Shankar. Later, he decided to return to his original name, Sai Rajesh, during Colour Photo. Interestingly, the makers named Kiran Abbavaram’s character Steven Shankar in Chennai Love Story, bringing the name back into the spotlight.
The filmmaker said audience reactions during premiere shows always make him nervous. According to him, emotionally intense films often leave viewers silent rather than expressive, making it difficult to judge the immediate response. He added that audiences usually take a couple of days to fully absorb such stories.
Sai Rajesh also shared that Chennai Love Story has given him greater satisfaction as a writer than even Colour Photo and Baby. He described the film as one of the few emotional love stories built around unexpected twists and said some scenes were inspired by the classic Mouna Ragam. He added that most of his stories come from real-life experiences and emotional struggles, though his own love story ended happily. He also revealed that Colour Photo was largely inspired by incidents from his intermediate college days.
Addressing the online criticism surrounding the film, Sai Rajesh said the team chose not to respond with arguments but instead promoted genuine audience reactions. He believes positive word of mouth eventually overcame the negativity and helped the film achieve commercial success.
Looking back at his career, Sai Rajesh said the film industry was very different when he started. At that time, newcomers struggled to attract attention unless they worked with stars or major production houses. He admitted creating controversy around Hrudaya Kaleyam simply to make audiences notice the film. If content-driven cinema had received the same support back then as it does today, he said he would have started his career with films like Colour Photo.
He also confirmed that no major changes were made to Chennai Love Story after its release, except for a few sound level adjustments in the second half. While his directorial projects took a break because of the Hindi remake of Baby, he said he currently enjoys working as both a writer and producer. If another director can bring his stories to life effectively, he is happy to support them from behind the scenes.
Sai Rajesh revealed that veteran filmmaker Bhagyaraj was initially approached for one of the roles in Chennai Love Story, but scheduling conflicts prevented the collaboration. He also spoke about his admiration for legendary music composers Ilaiyaraaja, Keeravani and Mani Sharma, revealing that he and Mani Sharma spent an entire day listening to Ilaiyaraaja’s songs while shaping the film’s musical identity.
Sharing an update on the Hindi remake of Baby, Sai Rajesh said around 20 days of shooting remain, with filming expected to conclude by the end of September. He noted that the Hindi adaptation features more aggressive characterisations compared to the Telugu original.
One of the biggest highlights for Sai Rajesh was receiving a congratulatory message from Megastar Chiranjeevi after Chennai Love Story crossed ₹50 crore. He said Chiranjeevi appreciated his achievement and expressed happiness at seeing one of his admirers succeed. Sai Rajesh also revealed that Allu Arjun is expected to watch the film soon.
Apart from filmmaking, Sai Rajesh is actively involved in the Telugu film industry through his leadership roles. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Directors’ Association and was recently elected Vice President of the Film Federation. He said he considers these responsibilities important and will continue working towards better welfare measures, including fair wage agreements for film workers.
Ending the interaction, Sai Rajesh said he deeply admires legendary writers Mullapudi Venkata Ramana and Yandamuri Veerendranath, along with the storytelling style of filmmaker K. Balachander. He confirmed that after completing his Hindi project, he plans to officially announce his next Telugu directorial venture after October this year.
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