Jun 08, 2026 6:05pm IST
Naga Chaitanya on Turning Producer With ‘Dhootha’ Season 2: ‘The shift happened organically’ (EXCLUSIVE)
It has taken Naga Chaitanya a while to get out of his famous father, Nagarjuna’s shadow. Career-wise, the first breakthrough came with the romantic drama “Ye Maaya Chesave” in 2010. “Thandel,” which was released in 2025, gave him the highest grossing hit of his career. Acting aside, he also owns a chain of cloud kitchens. And now, the actor-entrepreneur is turning producer with the second season of a streaming series he also stars in.
In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, he talks about the show and what viewers can expect going forward, with him in the producer’s chair.
You turn producer with ‘Dhootha’ Season 2. What prompted this step?
After the success of Season 1, I was motivated to do another season. The writer-director Vikram K Kumar had shared some ideas with me during the filming of the first season, which were really exciting. We journeyed together on them and the shift to becoming a producer as well happened very organically.
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Would you say it is a big step forward?
Once you get immersed in something you really enjoy, a lot of inspiration happens, which motivated me to be just more than an actor on “Dhootha.” Vikram and producer Sharrath Marar are very dear to me and we align on a lot of things. It felt effortless coming together with all of them as a producer for Season 2.
Would you say cinema remains as vital as OTT platforms today?
OTT and cinema co-exist. The audience is clear as to where they would like to consume each kind of content presented to them. Both have their presence in their own ways. We as makers have to be clear as to how we position ourselves to the viewers.
What can viewers expect from the second season of ‘Dhootha’?
You can expect a bigger show with a larger new canvas staying true to the genre of thriller-horror.
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