Sudhakar Komakula’s 2019 film Nuvvu Thopu Raa, directed by Harinath Babu, has received the ‘Best Feature Film’ international award at the prestigious Utah Film Festival 2020 in the USA. It received the Best Picture award under the Made in Utah category competing with many local and international films shot in the state of Utah, USA. The film was bankrolled by B. Srikanth Daduvai, James Watt and Ritesh Gupta under the banner of United Films in association with SJK Productions.
On receiving the award, Director Harinath Babu said, “I will always remember how the producers, Srikanth, James Watt and Ritesh Kumar, did not hesitate to spend whatever was necessary to ensure we made a good movie. If we are able to take this award today, the credit should go to them. As a resident of Utah, James Watt was of great help in the filming in Utah; he also helped us get the movie released in a grand manner through Geetha Distribution. I also thank Sudhakar, the hero of the film – it is because of him that I made, in the US, my debut film as director. Thank you, each one of you, the cast and crew of Nuvvu Thopu Raa, both Indian and American, who worked with me with such dedication. I thank the American people of Utah, including the Telugu community there, for their warm support.”
Delighted about the award, the film’s hero Sudhakar feels his wife, Harika, should also get some credit for the decision to make the film in Utah. As Harika had moved to the US on work, he had suggested to the director, Harinath, that they plan the script with locations in the US. He thanked all who had played their part in the making of the movie.
According to the co-producer, James Watt, “I am absolutely delighted that we’ve got this award. The director, Harinath Babu, is very talented and intelligent. He had the ability to get the best out of the cast and crew, both Indians and Americans. I thank Sudhakar, Nitya Shetty and the entire team whose hard work helped us produce this film. I also thank the judges of the festival and the organisers led by Warren Workman. Utah is a beautiful place and I’m happy we have been able to introduce Utah to the Telugu film industry. I will always remember the tremendous support given by the American people, including the Telugu community, of Utah.”
Nuvvu Thopu Raa was about how an illegal immigrant manages to set his life back on track in a foreign place with his swag, smartness and uncompromising attitude within a deadline. The film stars Life is Beautiful fame actor Sudhakar Komakula along with noted actors Nirosha, Varun Sandesh, Nitya Shetty, Ravi Varma and many others.
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