Dil Raju awaits the theatrical release of 'Thank You' on July 22. In this interview, the ace producer talks about the Naga Chaitanya-Vikram Kumar movie at length.
He then talks about the issues plaguing the film industry. The producer also says that no plans are afoot to suspend film shoots from August 1. He also talks about a recent phone call with Ram Charan.
About 'Thank You':
It was four years ago that BVS Ravi narrated the storyline of 'Thank You'. At that time, he told me that we all use 'thank you' too casually in everyday life. I connected with the idea. It had me thinking about the people who have made me what I am today. I have been a businessman in the past, a distributor, and a producer. It has been a long journey. With or without asking, many individuals helped me. 'Thank You', the film, has got a strong emotional quotient. Everyone loves to be thanked. Our film brings out the emotion through Naga Chaitanya's character.
The very theme of the film necessitated the span of the lead character. It had to be told in three stages. Vikram K Kumar, I felt, is the right director to handle the subject. During the making of 'Gang Leader', I pitched him the idea and noticed that he was excited. After all, he has made solid films like '24'. He started writing the scenes in his own style. It all began in 2019. The pandemic put a spanner in the pace.
Vikram had ably narrated an expansive film like 'Manam' with great calibre. Picking Chaitu happened also because of a film like 'Manam'. He can look the part of a teenager, an adult, and a middle-aged person. He has done an extraordinary job.
Unless the content is dramatic, the audience can't connect with the story. It would look like a documentary. Abhiram (Naga Chaitanya) in 'Thank You' reaches a high stature. On the way, he has had love stories and goes through a lot.
Our film has no similarities with 'Premam' or 'Naa Autograph'. 'Premam' was a love story. 'Thank You' is a life story narrating someone's journey from zero to hero. This is mainly going to work with young audiences. It's because youngsters have a certain kind of attitude when they are in college or just out of college. And the family audience, too, are going to love the later portions.
The run-time is just 135 minutes. It's a concise film that makes its point without stretching it out.
PC Sreeram garu has stayed with the emotional quotient of the film right from the start. A top-tier technician like him saying such a thing feels great.
Big hits like 'Simhadri', 'Toli Prema' and 'Fidaa' were released in July. 'Major' and 'Vikram' were released in June. All of them became super-hits. So, it's not like June and July are dull months. You have to give them the best content.
Ticket rates:
The ticket prices are the producer's call. It's not in the distributor's hands. As for 'Thank You', here are the prices in Telangana. For single screens, it is Rs 112 and for multiplexes, it is Rs 177 (including GST). Rs 150 is the actual ticket price. Of which, only half goes to the producer. In Telangana, there is a minimum-maximum range, unlike in Andhra Pradesh. In AP, there is no flexibility because of a GO.
It is important to reduce ticket prices keeping in mind the demand-side bottlenecks. The family audience are not ready to spend huge amounts on cinema tickets. Their spending capacity has come down (due to inflation).
Working with directors:
I don't argue with my directors unless I have a good rapport with them. Anil Ravipudi and Vamsi Paidipally are among them. If I flag a flaw in the script, they think about it. They may or may not eventually agree with me. But they cogitate over my feedback. I have had varying journeys with star directors and mid-range directors alike.
Changing tastes:
In the age of the pandemic, the equations and realities have changed. The audience's mindset has changed drastically. They are now getting to watch a lot of content at home on OTT. They are more educated and informed now. Average content can't bring them to theatres. They are money-conscious. The producers have to change in accordance with the changing trend. We can't okay average content for theatres.
Had it not been for the pandemic and OTT, it would have taken 10 years for the audience's tastes to undergo transformation.
During the lockdown, writers/directors started writing stories because they found a hell lot of free time. Even the actors okayed those scripts. But they didn't have an inkling about the transformed audience's tastes!
Everything is interconnected. If the audience don't show interest in theatres, it's going to have a down-top impact. OTT is giving them the latest films if they can wait for a few weeks. There is a danger of the success rate falling even further due to the changed audience's tastes.
Producers are thinking:
Some of us producers met on Sunday and brainstormed about the need to upgrade ourselves. We need to educate ourselves about the changing trends. There is no plan to suspend film shoots from August 1. The talks have just begun. Let's see where it goes.
When a film flops, not just the producer but also the hero, director and others are impacted.
Telugu heroes have a heart of gold. They are empathetic. The other day, Ram Charan called me and asked me about what is going on in the industry. I told him what the situation is.
All heroes want the producers to thrive. Why would they not want it? They are receptive and empathetic. Ninety percent of them will definitely see the point.
In any given year, there will always be at least 40-50 movies that will invariably be released in theatres first before reaching OTT. All producers have a consensus on this. It is in the case of those films that we have to see what should be the minimum gap between theatrical and OTT release dates. After an OTT deal is done, the only thing the producer can do is tinker with the ticket prices to make them consumer-friendly.
Everyone has realized that they are going to lose their monies on a lot of films in the coming months. For the producer to spend money, he needs to be assured of returns.
There have been super-hits like 'Pushpa', 'Akhanda', 'KGF 2', 'RRR' and 'Vikram'. We need to analyze why they became blockbusters and others didn't.
My films have made losses:
I have produced 'HIT: The First Case' in Hindi. In normal times, a Rajkummar Rao-starrer in Hindi would have made Rs 15 Cr (India business, nett terms) in the first weekend. But it has made not even Rs 6 Cr despite the positive buzz. About 66% of the potential of the theatrical business has been eroded! The situation is bad across industries.
Had it not been for the pandemic, 'Jersey' (Hindi) would have made a profit of Rs 30 Cr. That was our estimation before the pandemic. Slowly, we reached a situation where we were prepared to undergo losses. The film didn't even get proper openings. We incurred minimal losses on the project, thankfully. The damage was minimal. From a profit of Rs 30 Cr, we ended up with losses to the tune of Rs 3-4 Cr. Even average openings would have fetched us profits.
Earlier, the cost of production was the only major issue plaguing the film industry. And the ball was in the producer's court. Now, the problem is industry-wide.
A theatrical hit gives me an unlimited kick. But OTT success doesn't give that kick.
