'Hidimbha' is hitting the cinemas on July 20. Actor Ashwin Babu is gung-ho ahead of the release of the Aneel Kanneganti directorial. Starring Nandita Swetha in the role of a cop, the film is presented by Anil Sunkara.
With fights by Joshuva and Real Satish, the film also features Raghu Kunche, Srinivasa Reddy, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Sanjay Swaroop and others. In this interview, Ashwin Babu talks about its merits and more.
'Rakshasudu' would have been the perfect title. But since the title was not available, we researched our mythology further. We realized that Hidimbha is a name that has a close resemblance to the word 'evil'. What matters at the end of the day is the ability of a film to engage the audience.
Tuesday's paid premieres were very successful. The interval twist has been liked by the audience who watched the premieres. The Kaala Banda fight, the twist in the second half, the pre-climax, and the climax have been loved by everyone. I am extremely proud that everyone is talking about the RR. Vikas Badisa was my pick. If you watch the movie for the second time, the screenplay is going to thrill you even more.
Director Aneel Kanneganti offered me this story during the lockdown. Our producer Gangapatnam Sridhar wanted to do a sports film with me as the hero. I was not interested in a sports film due to the uncertainty that prevailed at that time. 'Hidimbha', on the other hand, could be shot in the Telugu States without having to travel to other countries/states within India. When this project was okayed, the film business was not yet normal. It was not until the release of 'Akhanda' did commercial prospects of our cinema look promising again.
Producer Gangapatnam Sridhar has previously made about eight movies and he lost his money on all those movies. He asked the director to listen to me during the making. That increased the pressure on me. My only priority was to ensure that my producer doesn't make losses on 'Hidimbha'. After all, I have tasted success with the 'Raju Gari Gadhi' series previously. My brother, Omkar, always advises me to aspire for quality and not quantity.
I didn't do any other film during the making of 'Hidimbha'. I made up my mind that I will take up a new project only after its theatrical release. Our plan was to release the movie on June 23. But the violence quotient put off some CBFC members. We had to go for a review. That's why the film had to be postponed. A Board member told me those who liked 'Virupaksha' will love 'Hidimbha'. The same view was expressed by director Prasanth Varma.
Anil Sunkara is presenting the movie. His passion is awesome. He is based in the US. He is always active even at nights. Recently, he delivered 'Samajavaragamana'. He is going to make many more hits.
My characterization from 'Raju Gari Gadhi' and 'RGG 2' were entirely different. 'RGG 3' was even more different. Unless my characters are different from each other, I don't get the kick.
The distributors wanted a pre-release trailer to be released. I wanted it to be done differently. Since there are twists in the movie, the trailer shouldn't reveal much. The director's idea was to do a 'reverse trailer'.
I am playing a doctor in my next film. It will boast a medical mafia element. I want the audience to be excited about what I do next.
I discuss the plots of my projects with my brother. He gives his suggestions and sometimes, he advises me not to go ahead if the story is not satisfactory. He is there for me both as a director and as a brother.
