'Love Me: If You Dare' has been panned for its inferior content and weird ideas. The nutty film, directed by Arun Bhimavarapu, couldn't be rescued by MM Keeravani's music either.
The failure of the film puts a question mark on the limits of 'Balagam' fame Dil Raju Productions. Dil Raju's daughter Hanshitha is a leading talent at the banner. She shortlists stories and does the heavy-lifting at the banner. The young production house, an offshoot of Sri Venkateswara Creations, has grand plans to produce at least half a dozen medium-range or small films in the next two years.
The 'Love Me' experience has left a bad aftertaste. It's always a gamble when you look for novel stories. You luck out very rarely. 'Balagam' was one such project.
When Dil Raju delivered hits in a row in the 2000s, the situation was radically different. The quality of songs used to be awesome. Our directors used to work with a team of writers to pen fresh stories for passionate producers with a vision. Dil Raju had that vision, that drive and that ability to assemble the best talents. His daughter is working with a new generation of talents at a time when great songs have become extremely rare and even half-decent writing talents are harder to come by. Dil Raju Productions, to be frank, is working with one-film wonders at best and zero-film wonders at worst.
