Kiran Abbavaram on ‘KA’: Sujith and Sandeep’s story surprised me at every turn FilmyMeet

Kiran Abbavaram in ‘KA’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

It has been a year since actor Kiran Abbavaram has had a film release. KA, the Telugu thriller releasing on October 31 in Telugu and a week later in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, has demanded all his attention. “We have attempted something new. I was very taken in by an important point that directors Sujith and Sandeep intended to convey through their story, written in a thriller format,” he says, speaking for this interview in between promotional activities in Hyderabad. Kiran exudes confidence but admits to a tinge of nervousness as the release day draws closer.

In KA, set in the 1970s in a fictional village named Krishnagiri, Kiran plays Vasudev, a postman, but there is more to his seemingly-innocent character. He says, “So far I have never portrayed a part with shades of grey. This has been a new learning.” 

Trekking into the forests

KA was filmed in the vicinity of forest areas; the crew scouted for locations that would be apt for a fictional village surrounded by hills, where light fades by 3pm. “Around 60% of the film takes place in darkness. We had heard of a village in Telangana where it gets dark around 4.30pm. For this film we wanted an earlier time,” he says, adding that the dialect in KA is not specific to any region in Telangana or Andhra Pradesh.

Kiran brightens up while discussing the filming process in the forest zones. The crew would walk for nearly a kilometre, carrying cameras, lights and other equipment, to reach the shooting spots in the jungles near Thirthahalli and Agumbe in Karnataka. “This region is home to several snakes, so we had medical kits handy. Once we got used to the location, we had a good time; it was beautiful to be one with Nature.”

Some portions were filmed in Muchintal and Vikarabad in Telangana; eight sets were constructed at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, pertaining to the village areas, and one set with a few interior portions was constructed at Sarathi Studios, Ameerpet.

Kiran hails from a village in Rayachoti in Andhra Pradesh and recalls how he had no exposure to urban lifestyle until he completed Class X. “That childhood experience helped me get in sync with this film easily. It was like going back in time.” 

The USP of KA, Kiran explains, is its unpredictability. “I listen to a number of narrations and read scripts, so when Sujith and Sandeep began narrating this story, I thought I had figured it out in the first few minutes. The story took me by surprise at each turn and I was shocked after listening to the climax. I hope the audiences find it equally interesting. The period setting will give people something new and immersive.” 

In the past, Kiran has also been a co-writer for his films such as SR Kalyanamandapam and Nenu Meeku Baaga Kavalsinavaadini. In the case of KA, he was content being only an actor. He cites the production design (by Sudheer) and sound (mixing by Aravind Menon) as assets to the film.

KA also features extensive sequences with animals. Kiran mentions how a street dog from Kurnool was trained for six months and became a favourite with the unit members. The same is the case with the bulls in the climax. “We ensured that all precautions were taken for animal safety.” 

Time for reflection

Through the conversation, Kiran repeatedly mentions his debut film Raja Vaaru Rani Gaaruand SR Kalyanamandapam as being received well by the audience and how he hopes for a repeat of the same with KA, which was pitched to him in January 2022. In 2022 and 2023, he had a bunch of releases of which only Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha stood out; the other films came in for criticism and did not fare well at the box office.

Looking back, Kiran says there were times when he could sense that a film was not shaping up well, but he had to fulfil his commitment. “I also think maybe I should have discussed it better with the respective directors. While working on KA, I have reflected on my choices and the need to be more careful.”

Next, he has a film with Saregama, which is foraying into Telugu film production, and two other films are in pre-production stages.