Supreme hero Sai Dharam Tej teamed up with director Sampath Nandi for a commercial potboiler titled Gaanja Shankar. The makers unveiled a small glimpse on the eve of Tej’s birthday today morning and it serves as a massy intro for what could be an out-and-out masala fare in the making.
Sampath Nandi is known for delivering full-length entertainers packed with a heavy dose of mass elements. With Gaanja Shankar, he is once again targeting the masses with a commercial drama that is touted to redefine mass genre.
Going by the glimpse, Sai Dharam Tej aka Gaanja Shankar is a spoiled brat who is well known for trading cannabis in his locality. He keeps the police department on tenterhooks. The story is set in the backdrop of Hyderabad.
The ‘Supreme’ actor gets a mass makeover after a long time. After trying out different genres, Sai returns to the time-tested template and he appears in a rugged avatar with rough characterisation. The glimpse starts with a conversation between a little girl and her father. The girl doesn’t want to hear about superheroes but prefers to know about any local hero. So, the father takes up the story of Gaanja Shankar.
This gives way for the introduction of the lead protagonist who seems to be quite popular in his locality for taking the unconventional bad path from his childhood. Sai makes a solid entry with his striking appearance that is elevated by a terrific score from Bheems Ceciroleo.
Rishi Punjabi is handling the cinematography and AS Prakash is dealing with the artwork. Sitara Entertainment and Fortune Four Cinemas are together bankrolling the film.