If Raam Reddy was certain of one thing after delivering his National Award-winning comedy Thithi (2016), it was that his next would be suspense-driven. That’s how the seed for his latest release, Jugnuma, was sown. The Manoj Bajpayee-starrer, which revolves around a family whose fruit orchard starts experiencing mysterious fires, also has a connection to Reddy’s past. 

“Since I had spent some time growing up in coffee estates in the South, I found it fascinating to explore this world,” begins the director. “I wanted to explore a unique socio-political context. It was important that [the estate] was inherited. So, the family holds a sense of graciousness. At the same time, they’re in a position of power over the locals,” he explains.