aha Original Film “Colour Photo” Bags Best Feature Film-Telugu at 68th National Film Awards

aha original film ‘Colour Photo’ was adjudged the Best Feature Film-Telugu at the 68th edition of the National Film Awards. Directed by Sandeep Raj, Written by Sai Rajesh, Produced by Sai Rajesh and Benny Muppaneni, the film ‘Colour Photo’ is a moving love story set in the 1990s between two college students that face colour-based discrimination and gender perspectives.

The film stars Suhas and Chandini Chowdary in the lead roles, who are supported by Sunil, Viva Harsha, Divya Drishti and Srividya Palaparthi most of whom attained fame initially as Telugu YouTube content creators and have now crossed over to mainstream cinema. Some of the industry’s most well-known actors, including Megastar Chiranjeevi, PawanKalyan, Allu Arjun, Vijay Devarakonda, and Nani lauded the film.

Known for its evocative writing, impactful direction, and great music, the film took the Telugu industry by storm when it was first released on aha in late 2020. The national award-winning Color Photo film was released in the first year of aha’s launch and was aggressively promoted by aha to reach all Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns, and the campaign was topic of discussion amongst industry circles for months. Colour photo eventually became one of the most successful films for aha.

Speaking on winning the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Telugu, Allu Aravind, Promoter, aha said, “We are thrilled and excited to have received this prestigious National Award and would like to congratulate the entire team for putting together this outstanding film. We take pride in strengthening our connection with regional content creators and are grateful to have recognized for exceptional movies such as ‘Colour Photo’ which was released on aha in 2020. We look further to establishing our footprint with local audiences through relatable storytelling and a distinct range of films and movies that will enhance our viewer experience. We will continue to back more talent in the days to come.”

Prior to making Colour Photo, Director Sandeep Raj had already directed and acted in a few short films and was already well-known for his performances across short films. In 2019, he decided to direct a relatively small budget film with his team, which culminated in Colour Photo as we know it today. Most of the actors in the film who have made their debut in the movie, were previously YouTubers and had primarily acted in short films.

Commenting on the achievement, Producers Sai Rajesh Neelam& Benny Muppaneni, said, “We are happy to receive the National award. With this award comes a lot of responsibility, and going forward, we will make sure to deliver good films. This achievement validated that audiences crave good content films, and the government will also recognize it. At the same time, we thank aha, who has given us the platform to present ‘Color Photo’ to everyone.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ajit Thakur, CEO, aha said, “We are elated to win the National award for ‘Colour Photo’. aha has a strong vision to bring audiences engaging content, and with ‘Colour Photo’, we have brought to life an impactful story seldom seen on any other platform today, reaching every corner of the globe. The success of this film demonstrates our commitment to providing our audiences with 100% local entertainment through local stories and local talent. We would like to congratulate and thank Producer Sai Rajesh, Director Sandeep Raj, Actors Suhas, ChandiniChowdary, Sunil, Harsha, and entire team of Colour Photo for their spectacular victory and relentless contribution.”

Commenting on the achievement, Director Sandeep Raj said, “With this recognition, once again audience has proved that if you present a relatable film where content is the king, everyone will watch and appreciate it. My heartfelt thanks to aha, who gave us the platform and made ‘Colour Photo’ reach every person across the globe.”