‘The Paradise’ Is the Most Challenging Film of My Career: Nani
“We are coming on September 24. From the first frame to the last, the film will deliver an adrenaline-pumping, high-intensity experience,” says Natural Star Nani
Natural Star Nani’s much-awaited Pan-India period action entertainer ‘The Paradise’ is gearing up for a grand worldwide theatrical release on September 24. Directed by Srikanth Odela and produced by Sudhakar Cherukuri under the SLV Cinemas banner, the film has already generated massive expectations with its songs, glimpse and teaser.
The unique world, intense visuals, Nani’s rugged look and high-energy content have received an overwhelming response from audiences. Ahead of the release, the makers held a press meet, where Nani, director Srikanth Odela and producer Sudhakar Cherukuri interacted with the media and shared several interesting details about the film.
‘The Paradise’ Has a Destiny of Its Own: Nani
Speaking at the press meet, Nani said, “Greetings to everyone. It has been a long time since I met all of you. I have never had such a long gap between two films in my career. When I was coming to this press meet, I felt as nervous as I was before my first film. I have almost forgotten how to speak into a microphone.
“Finally, we are arriving on September 24. The support we have received for the film so far has been tremendous, and I hope the same support continues. Whether it was ‘Aaya Sher’, ‘Esha Nagula Katta’, the glimpse or the teaser, every piece of content from the film has received an incredible response.
“When I see audiences embracing the film as their own, our responsibility becomes even greater. I have developed a strong belief that this film has a destiny of its own.
“We are working day and night to give the audience an extraordinary experience on September 24. We know that everyone will walk into theatres with huge expectations. Our only goal is to give them an adrenaline-pumping, high-energy experience from the beginning to the end and send them home completely satisfied. All of us are working extremely hard towards that.”
‘It Is More Appropriate to Call It a People’s Film’: Srikanth Odela
Director Srikanth Odela said, “The media has supported us tremendously right from the beginning of the film. I request the same support until the release. Whatever content we have released so far has created a blast among the audience. The songs and teaser have received a very positive response.
“Rather than calling it my film, I feel it is more appropriate to call it a people’s film. The way audiences have embraced the content has been incredible.
‘The Paradise’ is a revolutionary emotional film. It is a story about a mother and son, and also about a tribal community. There is a famous line by Kaloji Narayana Rao — ‘Birth is ours, death is ours, but our entire life belongs to the nation.’ What happens to people who fought for the country when they are told that they no longer belong to that very country? This is the story of a community that was pushed into obscurity, not knowing what to do next.
“I am sharing this only to give audiences an understanding of what kind of story ‘The Paradise’ is. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us.”
The Action Sequences Were Extremely Challenging
Srikanth Odela on the intense dialogues and censorship:
“There is a very strong emotion in the film. If we present that emotion effectively, everyone will understand and connect with it.”
‘The Braids Made the Action Sequences Very Challenging’: Nani
Addressing the discussion surrounding his long braids, Nani said, “There are many kinds of reports about the film on social media. There is no underwater sequence in the film, and there is no fight sequence involving a thousand people. This is a genuine story. There are several action blocks and sequences that will give the audience a high. They will also feel the emotion within the violence.
“Regarding the braids, our choreographer Aata Sandeep Master seems to have mentioned it casually. During the shoot, the braids were attached to my original hair, so naturally they became heavy. During action sequences, they would sometimes hit the ropes and get caught. I think he was explaining these things to our team and mentioned it in the flow.
“Performing action sequences with the braids was definitely very challenging.”
‘I Worked Very Hard for Aaya Sher’
Speaking about the dance numbers, Nani said, “‘Aaya Sher’ required a lot of effort, particularly for the floor movements. I have never really focused much on dancing before. Most of the songs in my films are situation-based rather than traditional dance numbers.
“I am extremely happy with the way audiences have received the two dance numbers in this film.
“Srikanth has a fantastic taste in music. He has a very good understanding of how to create songs that people can celebrate. He took special care while designing both these songs.”
‘I Am Happy Even If the Budget Has Increased’: Sudhakar Cherukuri
Producer Sudhakar Cherukuri was asked about reports that the film’s budget had increased.
He responded with a smile, “Even if the budget has increased, I am very happy.”
‘The Paradise’ Will Not Have a Trailer
On the film’s Pan-India release strategy and the decision not to release a trailer, Nani said, “‘The Paradise’ is fundamentally a Telugu film. Just like our previous films, we are making it available in all languages. We have ensured that the experience Telugu audiences get from ‘The Paradise’ is equally powerful for audiences in other languages. We have not compromised on quality anywhere.
“‘The Paradise’ is coming to theatres on a huge scale with Srikanth’s vision.
“The decision not to release a trailer is not because the film already has enough buzz. Several teams are working on the film. If we release a trailer, it has to be extraordinary. To create such a trailer, Srikanth, Anirudh and the entire team would have to put aside all other work for four days and focus exclusively on it.
“After discussing it among ourselves, the team collectively decided that ‘The Paradise’ will not have a trailer.”
Premiers Confirmed; Ticket Hikes Yet to Be Decided
Producer Sudhakar Cherukuri confirmed that the film will have premieres. However, he said a decision regarding ticket price hikes is yet to be taken.
‘Srikanth Is Stubborn, But His Stubbornness Has a Purpose’: Nani
Talking about the delay in the film’s release, Nani said, “Absolutely. Srikanth is stubborn. But there is a purpose behind his stubbornness. He has a clear vision, and he does not compromise when it comes to bringing that vision to the screen. His stubbornness is ultimately for the good of the film.
“The film has some very heavy action episodes. Naturally, injuries happen while shooting such sequences. Not just me, but everyone in our gang got hurt at some point. When you watch the film in theatres, you will understand how much effort went into making it. Everyone gave their everything.”
‘Anirudh Created That Euphoria’: Nani
Speaking about the response at the US concert, Nani said, “That euphoria was possible because of Anirudh. I enjoyed it tremendously as well. The energy we received for ‘Aaya Sher’ was unbelievable.”
‘Working With Mohan Babu Was a Wonderful Experience’
Nani also spoke warmly about working with veteran actor Mohan Babu.
“Mohan Babu garu is a wonderful person. He showed us a lot of affection. When you work with Mohan Babu garu, you end up falling in love with him as a person.”
‘My Voice Was Gone After the Dubbing’: Nani
Speaking about the aggressive dialogue delivery in the film, Nani said, “The character has to speak that way. There is a scene where I have to scream at the top of my voice. If we worry too much about making every word perfectly understandable, the character will disappear.
“When you watch the film, you will not need to hear those words again. Every word will connect with you through the emotion of the character.
“To be honest, I lost my voice after dubbing that scene. ‘The Paradise’ is the most challenging film I have ever done in my career. I put my heart and soul into it.”
‘The Paradise’ Has a Runtime of 2 Hours 49 Minutes
Director Srikanth Odela confirmed that the final runtime of ‘The Paradise’ is 2 hours and 49 minutes.
‘Not Just One Episode, The Entire Film Will Be a Highlight’: Nani
When asked about the much-discussed crow-related episode in the film, Nani said, “It is not just one episode. The entire film will be a highlight.
“Srikanth paid attention to every single detail of my character’s look. He had complete clarity about what he wanted and executed his vision perfectly.
“You will understand how much effort we put into ‘The Paradise’ when you experience the film in theatres on September 24. Everyone has given their heart and soul to this film.”
‘The Paradise’ is set to hit worldwide theatres on September 24.