Karma (2010 film)

• Adivi Sesh as Dev
• Jade Tailor as Padma
  • Ria as young Padma
• Sher Ali as Raj
• Ramakrishna as Padma's father

The film marks the directorial and lead acting debut of Adivi Sesh, an Indian who grew up in San Francisco.^[1] Hollywood actress Jade Tailor auditioned for the film after seeing the film's synopsis on an advertisement.^[2] The film was shot in Big Sur, Carmel, and Pacifica.^[3][1] The film was shot in a single schedule of fifty-eight days with a crew of Hollywood and Indian technicians.^[2][3][1] James Laxton shot the film using a Red 4K camera.^[3] Telugu tutors helped Jade Tailor learn the Telugu language.^[2] The film was based on a car crash that Adivi Sesh had survived in San Francisco.^[1] This film was reportedly the first Telugu film to be completely shot in the United States and the first to release in the United States with subtitles.^[1]

The songs are composed by Hollywood musicians Pete Wonder, Leland Thunes, and Justin Durban.^[1] The soundtrack consists of six songs, two of which are background songs.^[3]

A critic from Rediff wrote that "Karma is a tale told in a modern way, weaving in Hindu mythology. This perhaps stemmed from the fact that the director-cum-actor Sesh Adivi had a miraculous escape on a US freeway which set him thinking. That was the germ of Karma".^[4] A critic from Full Hyderabad wrote that "You might want to give Karma a try to look at the little offbeat activity that goes on in Telugu cinema, but we wouldn't recommend it for good entertainment at all".^[5]