'Slumdog Husband' is hitting the cinemas on July 29. The family comedy has been jointly produced by Appi Reddy and Venkat Annapareddy.
Starring Sanjay Rao and Pranavi Manukonda as the lead pair, the film is a comedy entertainer. Director Dr. AR Sreedhar has touched upon social commentary. Starring Brahmaji and Saptagiri as lawyers, the film also features Chammak Chandra and others. "The second half involves courtroom comedy, among other exciting elements," says producer Appi Reddy in this interview.
I hail from Dondapadu mandal in Suryapet district (erstwhile Nalgonda district). My family, otherwise into agriculture, used to run a theatre in our native village. I used to watch movies there on a regular basis. I have lived in many countries as part of my business endeavours. I have produced this movie with my brother, Venkat, who is based out of the US. I am a businessman who manages so many employees.
'Slamma Jamma', an English-language Hollywood project, was my first outing as a producer. The artists and technicians were drawn from Hollywood. It was released in 2017. I moved to India in December that year. Thereafter, I made 'George Reddy' and 'Pressure Cooker' in Telugu. I don't have any genre specifications in mind. 'George Reddy' was about a rebellious student leader. I was attracted to the subject.
I am here for the long haul. I want my banner to carve a niche for itself. I have six different projects at present in different stages. Three of them are in advanced stages of materialization. They will be helmed by new directors. 'Mr. Pregnant' with Sohel Ryan of Bigg Boss Telugu fame is going to be released a few weeks from now, in August. We are open to making films set in Telangana and rooted in the native culture. The right script has to come our way.
'Slumdog Husband' is an entertainer. Broadly speaking, it can't be slotted into any particular genre. The film comes with a satirical take on the horoscope knowledge system. While entertainment is the predominant offering, there is more to the film than the comedy. The male lead is married off to an animal on the advice of an expert. The same is inspired by many real-life instances. Recently, there was a news item about a man marrying a crocodile. It was strange but such things have always happened. In our film, the male lead gets married to a dog and when he decides to divorce it, all hell breaks loose.
Sanjay Rao, the hero of the film, is a dog lover in real life. It seems the script came searching for him (laughs). Brahmaji garu (the hero's father) is promoting the film personally.
It is true that 'Bro' is going to be released on July 28. I am a fan of Pawan Kalyan myself. Every week, there have been many releases in Tollywood. We didn't have a choice and so, we chose July 29 despite the big-ticket release this week. Our film will find its takers. The pre-release event will be held this week. Sukumar and Sree Leela will be in attendance as chief guests.
Every film is different. Cinema is a creative field. Platforming fresh talents is giving me a lot of satisfaction. As a producer, I am involved in the making to the extent I can contribute positively. I might wield the megaphone in the future.
