'Tillu Square', says Siddu, is a completely fresh story. "This is not a Part 2. It's a sequel. The protagonist is from the first part, but the story is something else," the 'Krishna And His Leela' star says.
The comedy caper will hit the cinemas on March 29 (Friday). Directed by Mallik Ram, the film has been produced by S Naga Vamsi of Sithara Entertainments. "Writing the 'Tillu' movies has been therapeutic. I will miss writing a Tillu movie," he added.
When the audience watched 'DJ Tillu', everything was new. But now, everyone knows Tillu and they have high expectations. Tillu is a deeply insecure person. He appears flashy and flamboyant as a cloak, hoping that others would see him as confident. Picking the right costumes ensures the right vibes of the character are conveyed. Tillu is noisy because he feels guilty that he is unemployable. He depends on his father for everything.
Tillu in 'Tillu Square' is DJ Tillu on steroids. As it is, the crisis he is stuck in is exponential. I can't reveal the nature of the trouble he walks into. As a writer, I have brought to the table my perspective of life through Tillu.
You are going to see a new set of female characters. He is trapped in bigger trouble this time. Tillu and the female character he has to contend with serve each other. Without their chemistry and coming together, the film doesn't exist.
The run-time is just two hours. This is a comedy movie with a little story. That's why the run-time is crisp. You shouldn't stretch such films for too long. That said, there are a couple of long scenes as well.
Trivikram's contributions proved invaluable. When deeply immersed in a project, it's easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. His insights proved invaluable whenever I presented drafts of the scripts. While he didn't delve into specific scenes, his rich understanding of cinema and literature offered a fresh perspective on the narrative.
'Tillu Square' has strong female characters. It's not about positive or negative traits. It's about having an arc of their own. It's not about feminist ideology. As for Tillu, he always entertains while always facing tragedies. His misery is a source of laughter for the audience. He is like therapy.
The first trailer of 'Tillu Square' didn't receive the expected response. The reason is that we didn't reveal anything in the trailer about the story. That's why people didn't like it. People are already making guesses about Anupama Parameswaran's character being Radhika's (Neha Shetty) sister. The second trailer, released yesterday, shows the nature of the story a bit.
It feels refreshing to solely focus on acting for the upcoming couple of films. Writing the third installment of Tillu isn't an immediate priority for me. I aim to explore a grittier aspect of my craft and pen a more serious narrative.
Negative comments undoubtedly affect the morale of artists. Those of us in the field of art have sensitive minds. Female actors are taken aback when they are judged and talked about senselessly. That's what I was talking about at the pre-release event explaining why Anupama hadn't turned up for the event.
Thaman gave terrific BGM to 'DJ Tillu'. Bheems Ceciroleo's BGM for 'Tillu Square' is whackier and has a mass tinge. When Thaman composed the BGM for 'DJ Tillu', he told me there was no need for a score when Tillu talked. At the same time, Tillu can't be talking nonsense. He must make sense.
I agree that Tillu is a celebrated character. To be honest, it has no specific inspiration. It's a cumulative result of a bunch of my thoughts, my own observations in life, my surroundings, etc. Tillu is not a slum-dweller. He is not affluent either. He belongs to the middle class. That's an interesting space to tap into.
I am not in favour of holding early premiers. Those who watch premiers don't watch a movie like a movie. They watch with the urge of dissection. This applies to premiers that are not paid. It's like being on social media, where we give unsolicited opinions all the time! But if you pay for your ticket, your mindset is different.
I once maintained a Twitter account, but I've since deactivated it. The platform became inundated with negativity, which prompted my decision. I have removed the Twitter app from my phone entirely and don't even maintain a pseudo account.
