Arjun Dasyan, who has previously bankrolled 'Dear Megha' and 'Vallidhari Madhya', is now waiting for the theatrical release of 'Bhaag Saale' on July 7. Starring Sri Simha Koduri, Neha Solanki and Varshini Sounderarajan in key roles, this one also features Nandini Rai, John Vijay, Rajeev Kanakala, Viva Harsha, Satya, Sudarshan, Prithviraj, RJ Hemanth and Bindu Chandramouli.
In this interview, Arjun talks about the comedy caper, which he has bankrolled in collaboration with Yash Rangineni and Singanamala Kalyana.
Suresh Distributions is releasing 'Bhaag Saale' in theatres. Crime comedy has a very good strike rate at the box-office. During the pandemic in recent years, my curiosity for the genre has only intensified. When director Praneeth Sai narrated the story, I was impressed with the narration. At the same time, I was nervous. The execution was going to be difficult. Surprisingly, his execution is ten times better than his narration. He has previously directed 'Suryakantham'. He is very good at comedy. But crime comedy is a different ball game. When I saw the rushes, my confidence in his abilities grew.
Sri Simha's talent is tailor-made for this genre. We saw how good he was in 'Mathu Vadalara'. He was the director's first choice, and so also music director Kaala Bhairava, whose work for 'Mathu Vadalara' and 'Karthikeya 2' was terrific. I insisted that Bhairava gives an immersive score for a Lord Krishna element in the story.
In 'Bhaag Saale', the hero's name is Arjun. Like any other youngster, he wants to rise fast in life. He daydreams a lot and believes that he has already attained his aspirations. A Nizam-era ring plays a pivotal role in the story. The track has been narrated in animation form. Whether the story was real or fictional is something you will know later. Don't Google about it now!
I don't prefer making films that belong to the slapstick comedy genre. Already, we have 'Jabardasth' and other shows catering to the audience. Crime comedy is what I wanted to make from the beginning. We could complete the film within the planned budget. Crime and comedy are in equal proportion in the story. The comedy is light-hearted throughout. There are also laugh-out-loud moments. 'Bhaag Saale' is as enjoyable as 'Swamy Ra Ra'. John Vijay played the antagonist. It was the director's decision to choose him.
I have previously produced 'Dear Megha'. It was the remake of a Kannada classic. For some reason, the producer of the Kannada original released his movie in multiplexes around the time when our remake came out. I faced issues due to inexperience in terms of release strategy. That film taught me not to do remakes. That said, I might do a remake in the future if something really exciting comes up. Never say never.
On July 7, three to four theatrical releases are happening. 'Rangabali' belongs to a completely different genre. Recently, we saw 'Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi' doing very well despite it being a re-release in competition with fresh releases like 'Samajavaragamana'. 'Bhaag Saale' will find its audiences.
OTT is not an easy game. Practical issues are surfacing. Small producers can't take OTT offers for granted. For example, due to the ZEE and Sony merger, the acquisition of movies by their OTT platforms has slowed down.
I am next going to produce an entertainer with Priyadarshi as the hero. A new director will wield the megaphone.
