Lohith H, the director behind the critically acclaimed Mummy Save Me and Devaki, both starring Priyanka Upendra, took a little longer to return to the director’s chair. However, his latest film, Rakshasa, in his words, is worth the wait. In this interview, ahead of the film’s release this week, Lohith opens up about the journey leading to his third film and the exciting innovations that come with it.
“Post Devaki (2019), I had plans to work on Sathyamangala with Shivarajkumar and also ventured into production with Life is Beautiful. But then came the pandemic, which became a major setback,” Lohith reveals. “During that time, the Shivanna project was delayed, but an unexpected call came in to direct Mafia for Prajwal Devaraj. Initially planned for six months, the project ended up taking two years. You can’t really blame anyone for that. It’s the nature of the business.”
While working on Mafia, Lohith discovered Prajwal Devaraj’s depth as an actor, which laid the foundation for their collaboration on Rakshasa. “Prajwal has done 37 films, but Rakshasa is the first of his to get a simultaneous release in Telugu,” he notes. “That says a lot about the content. I believe, in today’s cinema, only good content sells.”
Lohith, who has experimented with horror and thrillers in the past, takes it up a notch with Rakshasa—a horror time-loop drama. “We’ve seen horror films, haunted subjects, and time loops in various genres,” he explains. “But a horror time loop? That’s new. Hollywood has films like Happy Death Day that explore this concept, but as a thriller. This is the first time a horror film has merged with the time-loop concept. It’s something fresh, and I believe it offers a new experience for audiences.”
