Chennai, May 13

Actor Nara Rohit's upcoming Telugu crime-drama "Appatlo Okkadundevadu", currently in pre-production, is said to be based on true events that transpired between the years 1992 and 1996 in Hyderabad.

"It's inspired from true events that happened during this time period. I have fictionalised these events for the screen. It's partly based on a crime biography. I can't reveal more at this moment," the film's director Sagar Chandra told IANS.

It also features actor Sri Vishnu as one of the leads.

"The story will revolve around Rohit and Vishnu. We're on the lookout for two heroines. We're also in talks with a popular Kannada actress to play the role of a sister. We should be able to finalise the cast in a week's time," he said.

Known for directing the underrated 2012 Telugu drama "Ayyare", Chandra says "Appatlo..." will be "very different".

"When I made 'Ayyare', it stood out among the films that came out that year. It was different from the usual crop of movies. I'm trying something different with my second film as well," said Chandra, and added that the film's story will jump between present day and the 1990s.

He adds that recreating the bygone years will be a major challenge.

"The entire topography of Hyderabad has changed. Its people have also changed. I need to keep all that in mind when we start shooting. It'll be tough to make a 100 percent fool-proof film but we'll try our best to do justice to the time period in the story," he said.

The movie will be officially launched in the first week of June, followed by regular shooting.