'Aadavaallu Meeku Johaarlu', starring Sharwanand and Rashmika Mandanna, will head to theatres on March 4.
In this interview, producer Sudhakar Cherukuri talks about the film, working with a heavy cast, what to expect from the family entertainer, his upcoming movies with Nani and Ravi Teja, and more.
I ran an IT company in the US before entering the film industry. After my daughter's birth, I came back to India and started the production house. I am close with Naveen Yerneni of Mythri Movie Makers and there are other friends in the industry.
After 'Padi Padi Leche Manasu', we wanted to do a family entertainer. Kishore Tirumala pitched a nice storyline. We felt it would be a perfect film for us and Sharwanand. Since the casting is heavy (read the likes of Khushbu, Radhika Sarathkuamr, Urvasi, etc), the commencement of the shoot was delayed by three months. Had the shooting started in time, the film would have been released six months ago.
The premise is this: The male lead's family is dominated by females, who are in the numerical majority. They shower excessive love on the one male youngster in the family and decide who he should marry. The consequences are borne by the youngster and they are not always pleasant.
Rashmika Mandanna is most apt for the role of the female lead. Devi Sri Prasad's songs are superb. An unreleased song will have to be seen only on the big screen.
We are confident that the family audience will come out of their houses and watch our entertainer in theatres. Women of all ages will like the film. Each and every character is relatable on some level. It's not like 'AMJ' is only a family film. There is entertainment aplenty from the likes of Vennela Kishore and Pradeep Rawat.
Director Kishore Tirumala works at a fast pace. He doesn't take more than 50-60 days for production works. That's what gave us the confidence to take up this casting-heavy movie.
The film was shot in Rajahmundry, Annavaram, Antarvedi and a few other places in Andhra Pradesh for many days. The story essentially unfolds in Rajahmundry.
This is my second outing with Sharwanand and he is like a brother to me. I don't see him as a hero and he doesn't treat me as a producer. Our first movie 'Padi Padi Leche Manasu' was made well but it backfired. We didn't expect it.
Cinema is my passion and that's what has kept me going despite the failure of 'Padi Padi..'. I was down for a few days but just because a film flops, you don't call it quits. 'Padi Padi..' cost us Rs 33 Cr. Its failure didn't deter us from investing adequate money in 'AMJ'.
We wanted to release 'AMJ' on February 25 but 'Bheemla Nayak' made us postpone the release to March 4. 'AMJ' is going to be screened on 300 screens in the US.
I am trying out various genres as a producer. My first film was a love story, my second film is a family entertainer. Nani's 'Dasara' is raw; a newcomer is wielding the megaphone and most of it will be shot in the backdrop of a set. 'Virata Parvam' has got a Naxalism backdrop and is set in the 1990s. Whereas Ravi Teja's 'Ramarao On Duty' is an action thriller, and April 15th might be its release date.
