Anil Ravipudi, who is enjoying the blockbuster success of his new film Sarileru Neekevvaru, gave us an exclusive interview. Here is the transcript.
Q) How is the response for the film?
A) It’s overwhelming. The first day collections are extraordinary and the same trend continued yesterday as well. Today, we have been receiving reports that the film is going fulls in most areas. Needless to say, I and my team are super happy.
Q) Compliments from the industry people?
A) I’ve been getting phone calls from the industry people from the first day itself. Noted directors like Raghavendra Rao garu, Puri Jagan garu called and appreciated me. Many audiences and friends are calling me and discussing the highlights in the film.
Q) Did you expect such humongous openings before the release?
A) We predicted that the opening numbers will be big, but the actuals are beyond our expectations. The trend is still continuing and our team is very happy.
Q) From Pataas to Sarileru Neekevvaru, how is your journey and how are you handling the pressure?
A) I’m just five films old and the journey so far is amazing. Moreover, in the five films, I never repeated any hero. So more than the pressure, handling each hero is a challenge for me.’
Q) Tell us about the mixed feedback for the climax episode?
A) On the first day, we received a mixed response for the climax from the fans but later on, the appreciation from the common public has been unanimous.
Q) In general, how many days do you take to finish writing a script?
A) I normally take four months time to lock any script, and did the same for Sarileru’s script as well.
Q) Any particular reason for inserting more comedy in your films?
A) There is no specific reason. Maybe it is my style of narrating a story. I feel that the audience will connect to the strong content when narrated with a humorous touch.
Q) Any reason behind touching social issues in each film?
A) Again, there is no particular reason behind it. In general conversations, we come across various current affairs and I pick a few of them and explore them in my films.
Q) Did you feel nervous when you got the opportunity to direct Mahesh Babu?
A) No, I was waiting for the right opportunity and I got it in the form of Superstar Mahesh Babu. So, I went ahead with the scripting process by keeping in mind his strengths.
Q) Next project?
A) As of now, I’m enjoying the film’s success and I have to sit and work on my next project soon.
Q) Any suggestions to the upcoming filmmakers?
A) Nothing. They have a lot of clarity on what they want to do.