Autonagar Surya

Autonagar Surya is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language period political action drama directed by Deva Katta and produced by K. Atchi Reddy under Max India Productions. It stars Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, with Brahmanandam and Sai Kumar in key roles. It is the second film in Deva Katta’s planned quadrilogy about society seen through a common man’s eyes. After long delays it was released on 27 June 2014 to mixed-to-negative reviews, but it later found appreciation on television.

Story

The story begins in 1973, when a young boy, Surya, loses his parents on a train. Mistreated by his uncle, he is taken in by a kindly mechanic in Autonagar, Vijayawada. He grows into a skilled mechanic who has to fight his way up in a world of corruption and power.

Inspiration

Deva Katta was deeply disturbed by a news story about railway police violence against a passenger’s family. He said the lack of any response from the system alarmed him even more than the incident itself. It shaped the film’s premise, which he described as an underdog’s rise from nobody to somebody, though he said the film makes no reference to the real people involved.

Casting

Naga Chaitanya was signed to play Surya in February 2011, after reports linked other stars to the role. Samantha was cast as the heroine, and Sai Kumar plays her father. Brahmanandam plays “Super Mechanic” Brahmi, Surya’s business rival. Ravi Prakash and Surekha Vani play Surya’s parents.

Production

Filming began in Hyderabad on 14 October 2011. It was halted in December 2012 when the producers ran into financial trouble, resumed in September 2013 and wrapped on 30 November 2013. Anoop Rubens composed the music, Srikanth Naroj was the cinematographer and Gautham Raju the editor.

Release

The film was released worldwide on 27 June 2014. After mixed-to-negative reviews it was trimmed by 12 minutes, and over time it won appreciation from television audiences.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.