New Delhi, June 13 -- Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, the 94-year-old filmmaker whose career spans six decades and multiple languages, returned to the director's chair on Thursday with Sing Geetham, a Telugu musical fantasy where every word of dialogue is sung. The film, produced by Nag Ashwin through Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema, arrived in theatres on June 12 as one of the most formally daring Indian releases in years.

The premise centres on Kuberapuram, a mining village where illegal operations have stripped the land bare. When the last surviving tree is cut down, the residents find themselves cursed to communicate only through song. Pratap, played by Ayaan, arrives in the village after a stint in Bhopal jail for financial fraud and ...