'Kushi' is up for a theatrical re-release on December 31. Pawan Kalyan's fans are expecting that the re-release will add crores of money to its box-office figures. In this interview, producer AM Rathnam shares a lot of interesting facts about the blockbuster.
Rathnam, these days, is also presenting 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu'.
I wanted to re-release 'Kushi' on September 2. However, since 'Jalsa' was also being re-released, I put off the idea. The re-release will help the fans and general audiences to re-live the old days and golden memories.
At first, the film looked like a regular, breezy romance to many. But when the film was released, the audience saw it as a story that explored the delicate issue of egos between two individuals, played by Power Star and Bhumika Chawla.
It's true that 'Cheppalani Vundhi' was locked as the film's title. It resonated with the fans of both Pawan and Chiranjeevi, for there was 'Chudalani Vundhi' before. When we changed the title, it unsettled many initially. But they came to embrace it, as the title sounded universal and apt. The title also conveyed the nature of the ending.
Mani Sharma's music was a giant success. The songs enjoyed so much hype. Conceptually, the songs in this remake were entirely different from those in the Tamil original. 'Ye Mera Jahaan' was an unconventional song introducing the hero's personality. As for the remix of 'Aaduvari Matalaku', it was a runaway hit. What is common between the two songs is that they both were conceptualized by Pawan Kalyan. The former brought out the manipulative nature of politicians. Abbas Tyrewala wrote it in a snap. (The film's first act, before the introduction of Bhumika, was set in Kolkata).
Director SJ Suryah is an excellent performer, who enacted each scene for the benefit of the lead pair. If he is a busy actor these days, it's because of his awesome acting skills.
The fights, composed by Pawan, proved his grasp of the mass pulse. I personally enjoy the fight scene that follows the eve-teasing incident.
The staging of the love story was unusual. The narrator talks about the destined union between Madhu and Siddu. After the initial set up, the story takes off in an unexpected way with the clash of egos between the two. I would say that the love story is as effective as the saga of Laila-Majnu and Romeo-Juliet.
The post-climax scene where the hero and heroine are seen as a married couple with ten kids was a crazy idea that was shot for the Tamil original as well.
My son, who was studying in London, helped me release 'Kushi' there on the same day as it was released in India. It was released in Tamil Nadu alongside the release in (then united) Andhra Pradesh. In 2001, today's filmmakers like Bobby and Krish Jagalarmudi were common audiences who watched the movie in theatres.
