Tharun Bhascker, who was last seen in the Disney+ Hotstar series Anger Tales, began his journey in the film industry as a director. In 2016, he made the romantic comedy Pelli Choopulu which was a super hit and went on to be remade in Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil. While he continued his passion for filmmaking, Bhascker also forayed into acting with the biographical drama Mahanati (2018), essaying the character of Singeetham Srinivasa Rao. In an interview with Prema, Bhascker revealed that his acting journey has helped him become a better filmmaker.
Having entered the field without any industry experience, it took some time for Bhascker to understand the relationship between the concepts of budget, marketability and profits. “I was blissfully ignorant when I joined the industry. I didn’t even work as an assistant director to understand how things work. But in these seven years, I have learnt that the most important factor in selling a film is its marketability.”