Venkatesh's Preminchukundam Raa was released in 1997, the time when Telugu cinema was yet to witness new-age college campus love stories like Chitram and Nuvvu Nenu. It was produced by D Suresh Babu.
Sharing an anecdote from that time, on Friday, Suresh Babu revealed that his wife was taken aback by the themes portrayed in the Rayalaseema-based romantic action drama. "She asked me what was the message we were trying to give through the film. Everyone has their boundaries when it comes to what they find acceptable," Suresh Babu said. She was not alone. Her reviews reflected the outrage of a large section of the family audience segment.
Old-timers will tell you that the very title was a butt of ridicule among the family audience. The title was deemed cringe-y. The film became a hit and, eventually, the title started to be seen as fashionable!
Directed by Jayanth C. Paranjee, Preminchukundam Raa featured Anjala Zaveri as the heroine. It's peculiar that a title that merely called upon the heroine to start falling in love was deemed regressive at a time when many filmmakers, including star directors like EVV Satyanarayana, were infusing double meaning humour.
