Making of Betting Raja: Behind the Scenes and Shooting Locations
In short: Betting Raja (Racha) began as a different film, Merupu, which was shelved. Sampath Nandi's script replaced it, and filming ran from June 2011 to 1 April 2012 in Hyderabad, Sri Lanka, Bangkok, Goa, China's Anji County, Tirupati, Chennai, Kerala and Pollachi. Ram Charan was injured twice during the shoot.
From Merupu to Racha
Producer R. B. Choudary, with N. V. Prasad and Paras Jain, first started a Ram Charan film called Merupu, directed by Dharani and co-starring Kajal Aggarwal. Shooting began on 30 April 2010, but there was no complete script, only a one-line idea, and one song was shot with Charan.
After Orange (2010) was released, Charan and the producers asked Dharani for a full script. He narrated it to Charan and his father Chiranjeevi, but quoted a budget they felt was too high. After one schedule, Merupu was shelved.
In late February 2011, N. V. Prasad approved a new script from Sampath Nandi, whose only previous film was Yemaindi Ee Vela (2010). The film was officially launched on 12 June 2011 at Ramanaidu Studios, Hyderabad, under the working title Racha.
What the Title Means
Racha is Telugu for "chaos" or "uproar". The Telugu logo was unveiled on 14 February 2012 and the first-look poster on 18 February 2012. It is widely reported that the title was formed from the star's own name: "Ra" from Ram and "cha" from Charan. For the Hindi dub, Goldmines renamed it Betting Raja after the hero's unbeaten betting record (see Betting Raja Hindi dubbed version).
Casting
- Ram Charan went abroad for a complete makeover, practised new dance steps and trained for about 45 days at David Barton's gym.
- Tamannaah Bhatia was first reported in March 2011 and confirmed in mid-May 2011. She said her character's layers are revealed as the film goes on, which is exactly how the twist works.
- Ajmal Ameer was confirmed in late July 2011. He said every character is introduced through his role. He couldn't dub his own voice because he was shooting a Tamil film in France.
- R. Parthiban agreed to a cameo as Raj's father after Sampath Nandi explained why the role mattered. It was his Telugu debut, and Ajmal's too.
- Brahmanandam and Krishna Bhagavaan joined in early October 2011.
- Dev Gill, the villain of Magadheera, said all his action scenes would be with Charan.
- Lisa Haydon appears in the title song.
See the full Betting Raja cast and characters.
Filming Timeline
- June 2011: Shooting starts in Hyderabad.
- July 2011: Long schedule in the jungles of Sri Lanka. Tamannaah joins on 7 July; a song is shot in late July.
- Until 15 August 2011: Shooting in Bangkok.
- August–October 2011: Hyderabad. A dance-academy set on the city outskirts for comedy scenes, and a set near the Aluminium Factory in Gachibowli.
- October 2011: Goa schedule, including the train scene where Charan was injured.
- Early November 2011: "Vaana Vaana Velluvaye" shot over four days on a special set at Annapurna Studios.
- 12–30 November 2011: A song and a fight in a bamboo forest in Anji County, Zhejiang, China.
- December 2011: Rayalacheruvu near Tirupati, then Ramoji Film City.
- 17 January 2012: Last schedule begins in Chennai.
- 23 January 2012: Title song wraps at the Buddha Statue, Hyderabad.
- February 2012: Boat song at Periyar National Park, Kerala.
- 25 March 2012: Charan returns after a leg injury to finish two songs: "Dillaku Dillaku" at Annapurna Studios and "Singareni Undi" near Pollachi.
- 1 April 2012: Filming ends, four days before release.
Betting Raja Shooting Locations
| Location | What was shot |
|---|---|
| Hyderabad (Ramanaidu Studios, Annapurna Studios, Gachibowli, Buddha Statue, Ramoji Film City) | Most of the city scenes, comedy tracks, "Vaana Vaana", "Dillaku Dillaku", title song |
| Sri Lanka | Jungle scenes and a romantic song |
| Bangkok, Thailand | A schedule up to mid-August 2011 |
| Goa | Raj's introduction scene on the railway track |
| Anji County, Zhejiang, China | A song and a fight in a bamboo forest, the first Telugu film shot in interior China |
| Rayalacheruvu, near Tirupati | Shooting resumed here after the China schedule |
| Chennai | The last schedule |
| Periyar National Park, Kerala | Boat song |
| Anaimalai Hills and Siruvani Waterfalls, near Pollachi | "Singareni Undi" |
Ram Charan's On-set Injuries
The train scene: while filming his introduction scene, the cables holding the train failed. Charan, who was sitting in a car on the railway track, jumped out and was hurt. After that schedule he visited Sabarimala to complete his Ayyappa Deeksha.
The leg injury: he sprained his leg (reported as a muscle tear) while shooting a song at Annapurna Studios and was told to rest for three to four weeks. This pushed the release from March to 5 April 2012.
The Kerala stand-off: at Periyar National Park, the deputy director insisted Charan and Tamannaah wear life jackets on the boat. Shooting stopped for a while, and officials limited the crew to a small area, so only part of the song could be filmed there.
Key Crew
| Director | Sampath Nandi |
|---|---|
| Writers | Sampath Nandi, Paruchuri Brothers |
| Producers | R. B. Choudary, N. V. Prasad, Paras Jain |
| Production company | Megaa Super Good Films |
| Music | Mani Sharma |
| Cinematography | Sameer Reddy |
| Editing | Gautham Raju |
| Choreography | Raju Sundaram, Shobi, Prem Rakshith, Jani Master |