Teja Sajja says that 'HanuMan' is growing from strength to strength with each passing show, adding that the film will have a strong 4-week run at the box office. In this interview, the 'Zombie Reddy' actor talks about the staggering success of the homegrown superhero movie, the hard work he had to put in, and more.
The response has been extraordinary, unanimous and crazy not just in Telugu but also in other languages. Just the trailer and 'word of mouth' have made this possible. Every actor needs a tentpole movie. 'HanuMan' is that movie in my case, thanks to everything getting right from the beginning. This has been made possible by divine intervention, braving all obstacles. I don't see this as my success. This is everyone's, including the media's and the audience's.
The release issues didn't affect me much. I believed that we will get through, thanks to some divine force acting from the above. Usually, I am pessimistic. On the other hand, my director Prasanth Varma is always optimistic. And our producer, K Niranjan Reddy, is bombastic (smiles).
When the movie was in the making, I didn't accept any other project. In those two to three years, I could have easily done five movies. The long gap in my filmography didn't bother me. I didn't want the image granted by my other films to affect 'HanuMan' in any way.
I am unable to enjoy this range of success to the fullest extent because I am worried this sort of film might not come my way in the future. The audience are experiencing religious euphoria and this has been made possible by Lord Hanuman Himself!
The climax was shot for 40 days. Talkie portions were done fast. The CG scenes and action scenes took a great deal of time. During the shoot, I hurt my cornea due to the use of compressors and lenses. I was asked to stay away from artificial things and even glycerine. My eyesight deteriorated so badly that it was unusual for a person of my age.
In the coming days, the film will be promoted in cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru. Possibly, we will also fly to the US.
The Hindi version has opened bigger than any Southern film in the past year. That's what I have been told.
I have always been frank with my filmmakers. When I did 'Oh Baby', I was a nobody. Yet, I didn't shy away from discussing everything frankly with director Nandini Reddy. This time, too, I did the same. Prasanth Varma is open to feedback. Everybody was contributing across the board to the betterment of the film.
The film ends with a reference to Lord Hanuman's promise to Lord Ram. That's a cliffhanger, in my opinion. It is a lead-up to the next edition, titled 'Jai Hanuman'. It needn't necessarily be a sequel. It is a part of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe.
Chiranjeevi garu has watched our movie. He was among the first ones to text me, extending his congratulations.
Prasanth Varma produces ideas regularly. He has a team of writers at Scriptsville who think up ideas/concepts.
Our team has no invite for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration to be held on January 22. We will plan a pilgrimage to the temple in the future.
