With ‘Paper Boy’, ‘Ek Mini Katha’ and ‘Manchi Rojulochaie’, young hero Santosh Soban proved that he is a compelling actor. He is now gearing up for the release of ‘Kalyanam Kamaneeyam’. The film stars Priya Bhavani Shankar as the heroine and will hit the screens on January 14. UV Concepts has produced it. Anil Kumar Aalla directed the movie.

Santosh today shared some interesting aspects about the Sankranthi release:

It has been my dream to have a Sankranthi release. With ‘Kalyanam Kamaneeyam’, my dream is coming true. Big-hero movies are also coming out this week. This is the biggest Sankranthi in the Covid era. I am planning to watch ‘Veera Simha Reddy’, ‘Waltair Veerayya’ and ‘Vaarasudu’, in the order of their release. And it goes without saying that my film is going to be very special to me. ‘Varsham’, which was directed by my father and which had Prabhas anna as the hero, was also released on the same date (January 14). This feels like a great coincidence.

‘Kalyanam Kamaneeyam’ happened when ‘Ek Mini Katha’ was still in the making. My friend and co-producer Ajay introduced me to director Anil Kumar, whose pitch I warmed up to instantly. We see two kinds of films. The first ones are aspirational, while the second type is relatable. ‘Kalyanam Kamaneeyam’ is a relatable story – it is the kind of story that gets made very rarely.

My characters in social comedy movies done so far are away from realism. Shiva in ‘Kalyanam Kamaneeyam’, on the other hand, is true to life. He is a genuinely grounded character. There is no trace of fakery in his character. His responses are as per the situations he encounters. I have realized that acting must not be designed towards winning applause. You have to behave like the character and genuineness will come automatically.

Shruti (Priya Bhavani Shankar) is a working woman. Shiva, my character, is her jobless husband. But that’s not what the entire film is about. They are a newly-married couple and how they tide over the problems in their life will be interesting to watch. It’s not a regular-format story. It’s an experiential film.

Life is all about interdependency. When I lost my father, it fell on my mother to bring me and my brother up. It means we depended on her. There might come a situation when a husband must depend financially on his wife. And it might lead to differences between them.

The songs in this movie don’t hinder the flow of the story. They take the story forward. Shravan Bharadwaj’s music is really so good. Karthik Gattamaneni’s cinematography is terrific.

UV Creations treats me like family. I have already done three films with them. And I am willing to do another thirty with them. So early in my career, I have got to team up with big names like Maruthi anna. I have also worked with Merlapaka Gandhi. I have learned from Anil as much as what I learned from them.

Prabhas anna has been a pillar of support. As India’s biggest star, he supported my films by promoting them. Today, he released ‘Wedding Anthem’ from our movie. I am a huge fan of his. My relationship with him is that I am his fan and he is a star. I can’t ask for more as a fan.

The final decision to pick stories rests completely with me. So, it is entirely on me whether the film works or not. I have collaborated with director Nandini Reddy and the film is titled ‘Anni Manchi Shakunamule’. Vyjayanthi Movies is producing it. I am also doing an action entertainer.