E..V.V. Satyanarayana has a penchant for making light entertainers with a message. Ever since he made that middle-of-the-road cinema, Aame, he is judiciously mixing a serious aspect that is affecting society, the women in particular, with the other box office elements like comedy, action and melodrama.

Introducing his son Aryan Rajesh as the hero with Hai, he could have dabbled in a kitsch masala, musical love story as a safe bet. But, he chose a serious point, upholding the traditional institution of marriage, which, according to him, is slowly coming under western influence. But Hai is not just that, it has all the masala ingredients of love, comedy, sentiment and action, besides pleasant music.

Made under Suresh Productions banner by veteran D. Ramanaidu, the film also introduces Nikita in the female lead.

Heralding the dawn of a new hero, the film's muhurat was held in the wee hours of December 31, 2001 and January 1, 2002. And much before that, like in the case of another veteran filmmaker's son, Aryan Rajesh too was splashed on the covers of all the Telugu film weeklies, with special features running on him. All this naturally aroused curiosity about his first release. Why the title, 'Hai'?

"To break the monotony from the present trend of titles given to loves stories, I opted for this one. Moreover, the youth can easily identify with Hai, which the use in normal life greeting their friends. It is simple and has a modern touch to it," smiles E.V.V.

Since it is his son's first film, has he taken any special care about him during the shoot?" On the sets I treat everybody alike. He is just another actor. My concentration on him was only from his performance side to see whether he is living up to the character or not like I deal with other artistes."

A highlight of the movie is the major schedule held at Dubai where a thrilling chase scene, employing camels, horses and motor vehicles was filmed in the desert areas. A replica of Dubai's hotel set was created at Ramanaidu Studios, to retain the authenticity. The debutants are in the company of veteran Chandramohan, Jayasudha, Prakash Raj, and Benerjee. The film is slated for release on May 24.