However, crafting her costumes and look turned out to be more complicated than they expected. “We tried three looks. Tamannaah has a lighter skin tone while Naga saints have a darker skin tone. No matter how many trials of makeup we tried, it looked artificial,” Sampath recalls. “The Naga sect includes a number of saints from other countries. Tamannaah’s skin becomes pinkish when she is exposed to the sun. So, we thought we would do it without any makeup. It took a lot of time and meticulousness to prepare this look.” According to Sampath, the actor went further than just physical transformation to bring her character to life. “Tamannaah gaaru walked barefoot in the sun for this film and became a vegetarian. I think she was able to pull off this role effortlessly because she was on this transformative journey.”
The scale of the film, particularly in terms of visual effects, has significantly expanded since the beginning of its production. Expressing his happiness and satisfaction, Sampath says, “Odela 2 has the VFX quality that are on par with Indian superstar films. Around 150 experts have been working on this movie for the last six months.”
Similarly, Ajaneesh Loknath’s music also plays a key role in creating atmosphere of the film. “The first technician who signed on the dotted line for this story was Ajaneesh,” says the director. “The reason to approach him was Kantara. The background score in this film is extraordinary and I consider his music to be the biggest blessing for this film.” Despite the comparisons drawn to other female-led spiritual thrillers like Arundhati, Sampath is quick to clarify, “While it may seem to be that way in the trailer, Odela 2 bears no resemblance to Arundhati. This is a battle between a ghost and a Panchakshari mantra. It’s more spiritual in theme.”
