‘Rao Bahadur Deliberately Unfolds Its Mystery’

Director Venkatesh Maha talks about his upcoming film Rao Bahadur’s layered storytelling, exploration of conditioning, colourism, doubt and patriarchy, and why he believes the film will continue to inspire new interpretations.

When you wrote Rao Bahadur, did you expect people to interpret it in different ways?

Definitely. I always believed that Rao Bahadur would create controversy. The movie aims to leave you with questions. Best of all, people interpret it in different ways and reveal hidden details and easter eggs. In fact, the psychological drama begins after you finish watching. People like thought-provoking stories. I experienced this at C/o Kancharapalem. Before Rao Bahadur was released, I told my producers that it would create such controversies.

Was the slow first half a deliberate narrative choice?

Yes. Psychological dramas are not designed to spoon-feed the audience. When you watch a movie by M. Night Shyamalan or Christopher Nolan, you don’t expect every answer right away. You’re waiting for the story to unfold. I guess Telugu audiences haven’t watched many movies lately that require patience. We have become accustomed to narratives that explain everything quickly. Rao Bahadur deliberately reveals his mystery slowly. Why do we hesitate when something new comes out of our culture?

Is there a criticism you agree with?

I agree that the first half is long. But I wouldn’t call it slow or boring. There is a difference. Everything in the first half has a counterpart later on. For example, references to Vasectomy and the Mahabharata are not accidental; these reinforce the hero’s struggle with lineage, identity, and the main theme of the film.

However, many women connected deeply with the first half as they spent considerable time with the female lead. The film explores multiple points of view rather than the perspective of a single protagonist.

What was the writing process like?

I started with themes, not subject matter. The film is built on four core ideas: People are essentially the same, circumstances shape reality, reality itself is an illusion, and fear and doubt become our demons. Every scene and dialogue stems from these themes.

How did the idea of ​​Rao Bahadur come about?

The seed came from the real life story of the man who played Ghantasala in C/o Kancharapalem. Although he has East Asian facial features, his roots lie entirely in Kancharapalem. He speaks Telugu fluently, has lived there since infancy after being brought from Burma during the war, and is no different from anyone else in the community. Meeting him made me realize that our physical appearance is just the outer layer. Beyond that, our feelings, thoughts, and humanity are the same.

Many call this one of Satyadev’s best performances?

Satyadev is one of our best actors. We spent around 40 days understanding Rao Bahadur’s psychology, fears and inner world before rehearsing any scene. Once we figured out the character’s mind, the performance fell into place.

Tell us about locating the palace.

We were looking for an abandoned palace because active palaces have various restrictions and costs. After researching online, my team and I went to Odisha and found one. It was completely abandoned except for the guard room. We cleaned the entire palace ourselves before shooting there. Even structurally it fit the main ideas of the movie. For example, the spiral staircase represents the structure of DNA and is therefore linked to themes of lineage and identity. We kept returning to that image throughout the narrative.