Director VN Aditya, renowned for blockbusters like Manasantha Nuvve, Sri Ram, and Nenunnanu, is now all set to captivate a global audience with his upcoming thriller Phani.
The film is produced by Dr. Meenakshi under the banner of O.M.G. Productions, and presented by AU&I Studio and Sastry.
The stunning and talented Catherine Tresa plays the lead role.
The makers unveiled the motion poster at a press conference in Hyderabad, generating strong buzz and anticipation around this unique thriller.
Shot entirely in the United States, Phani features a diverse and impressive cast, including Catherine Tresa, Mahesh Sriram, Neha Krishna, Tanikella Bharani, Kasi Vishwanath, Ranjitha, Yogita, and others in pivotal roles.
At the launch event, Catherine Tresa shared her excitement, saying, “Dr. VN Aditya garu is someone who constantly experiments with different genres. Phani will be another gem in his filmography. It’s a thrilling and interesting experience for audiences.”
Director Dr. VN Aditya recalled how the project began, stating, “Whenever I visit the U.S., I stay at my sister Meenakshi and brother-in-law Sastry garu’s home, and travel to different states from there. Despite meeting many times, the idea of making a film together never occurred to us. When they offered to produce a film under their OMG Productions banner, I was initially nervous. Most producers come prepared into the industry, but they just decided to back me after seeing my work. So I took the responsibility of preparing everything myself.”
He continued, “As Meenakshi mentioned, we began Phani as a small film. But once Catherine garu came on board, the film scaled up and eventually became a global project. Catherine has been incredibly dedicated—she even attended workshops to get into the role. Mahesh Sriram also gave us his full support throughout.”
One of the film’s most intriguing elements is its unique co-star: a snake. “The snake plays a key role in the film. We shot the entire movie in Dallas, making this the first Indian film to be completely shot in the USA,” VN Aditya revealed.
“Catherine initially had a fear of snakes, but gradually became comfortable with the one we used—Black Pine. We auditioned several snakes over five days using three cameras to capture every movement. Ultimately, Black Pine became our hero.”
Phani is set for a multilingual release in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and other languages.
