Venkatesh’s Narappa created a sensation when it was released on OTT due to the Covid issue. The film is re-releasing a big way in Telugu states on December 13th, marking the eve of the actor’s birthday. Directed by Sreekanth Addala, the movie is produced by D.Suresh Babu and Kalaippuli S.Thanu, under Suresh Productions and V Creations. Ahead of the release, we interacted with Suresh Babu, and here is the transcript.
Why did you decide to screen Narappa?
Venkatesh celebrates his birthday on December 13th. The trend of re-releasing actors’ films on their birthdays is really a good sign. When we were thinking about which movie to screen, fans requested tor Narappa. Hence we requested Amazon Prime about the same, and they accepted it without any issue. We would donate the entire amount collected to a charity.
You didn’t meet the media after Narappa. Can you say a few words about various issues?
I try to speak less, but I end up doing it the other way around. Everyone would have different opinions regarding various aspects. Balakrishna Garu asked why I didn’t attend the ticket rates meeting. I opine that the rates shouldn’t be higher and cinema should be affordable to middle-class people. There is nothing called right and wrong about this.
Did you release Narappa on OTT due to the good offer?
Corona is one issue. We feared that the audience might not come to the theatres at such a critical juncture, which might affect the whole team financially. Also, we took that decision thinking about our co-producer. If we had produced the film alone, we would have dared to release it in theatres. But instead, Venkatesh asked us to release Narappa in theatres though he was okay with Drushyam 2’s OTT release.
Do you regret Narappa and Drushyam 2 releasing on OTT?
I regret it slightly. Both movies came out very well. They would have performed still better in theatres. Even we would have gotten the exact amount that we earned through the OTT release. But the Covid scenario back then created a worry for us.
What’s your opinion about the new Sankranthi releases?
We can’t stop anyone’s film. All the movies have to release for the festival, and all should get theatres. All filmmakers have the right to release their movies when they want to. A better film would get better theatres.
Even after Covid, stars are preferring OTT. What’s your take on this?
It is up to the artists to decide how they want to shape their careers. Coming to Venkatesh, he is doing a Hindi film out of friendship. Also, he is doing a Telugu movie. Rana and Venkatesh acted in a web series that will also be dubbed into English. Irrespective of the platform, audiences would prefer watching content films.
Can you tell us a few things about Abhiram’s film?
I never thought Abhiram would become an actor. I asked him to look after the various businesses I have. Abhiram said that his grandfather wanted him to become an actor, and hence he decided to come into the industry. He is working with Kiran and Teja currently. We are looking for a good release date, and the VFX works are happening.