Samantha and ‘Ye Maya Chesave’ complete 11 Years: The cult romance is worth your time

It’s been eleven years since ‘Ye Maya Chesave’ made its way into the theaters and along with the movie, Samantha Ruth Prabhu too found a place in the hearts of Telugu audience. Starring the debutante diva and 1-film-old Naga Chaitanya in lead roles, the romantic drama directed by Gautham Menon enjoyed a stupendous run at the ticket counters and thereafter, garnered a cult following over the years. While the delightful songs and soothing background music composed by AR Rahman stood as the major highlight for YMC, Manoj Paramahamsa’s cinematography and Anthony’s editing made sure that the viewers’ delve into the lives of Karthik and Jessie.

In the complex character of Jessie who is confused and unapologetic about her indecisiveness, Samantha was on top of her game. Besides flaunting her natural beauty to perfection, she got all her expressions right and the icing on the cake was Chinmayi Sripada’s voice which worked wonders for the former. With her kohl-rimmed eyes and beatific smile, Sam’s romantic chemistry with Chay which includes a couple of lip-locks certainly gave romantic chills to one and all.

Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman composed the soundtrack and background score of ‘Ye Maya Chesave.’ Before the release itself, all seven songs from the film went on to become chartbusters with special appreciation to ‘Ee Hridayam’, ‘Kundanapu Bomma’, ‘Vintunnavaa’ and ‘Manasaa.’ All the numbers were penned by Anantha Sreeram and Rahman won his first Filmfare Award in Telugu for YMC.

Upon meeting on the sets of Ye Maaya Chesave in 2009, the off-screen camaraderie between Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu translated into sizzling on-screen chemistry in the romantic-drama. However, due to their personal and professional commitments, they didn’t start dating right away and instead, remained good friends for a few years before getting back together.

According to reports, Gautham Menon initially narrated the script of ‘Ye Maya Chesave’ to Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun. While both the star heroes gave the project a miss, the versatile filmmaker went ahead with Naga Chaitanya and found memorable success. Apparently, when Gautham announced the Tamil version of the film ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa’ starring Simbu and Trisha, Mahesh Babu’s sister Manjula Ghattamaneni approached the director and persuaded him to do a Telugu version. Most of the scenes were simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu.

After experiencing a miserable flop in the form of his debut film ‘Josh’, Naga Chaitanya heaved a huge sigh of relief with the massive success of Ye Maaya Chesave. The romantic drama earned him the tag of a ‘Lover Boy’ and catapulted his stardom among the younger generation particularly girls. Continuing from where Ye Maya Chesave left, his next film 100% Love turned out to be a monstrous hit at the box-office and cemented his place in the Telugu film industry.