Bhartha Mahashayulaku Vignapthi Wins Hearts: Family Audiences Drive Blockbuster Run- Producer Sudhakar Cherukuri
Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja’s Sankranthi blockbuster Bhartha Mahashayulaku Vignapthi has emerged as a big festive winner at the box office. Directed by Kishore Tirumala and produced by Sudhakar Cherukuri under the SLV Cinemas banner, this wholesome family entertainer stars Dimple Hayathi and Ashika Ranganath as the female leads. Released grandly on January 13, the film has been running to packed houses and has already achieved blockbuster status.
On this occasion, producer Sudhakar Cherukuri interacted with the media and shared his happiness about the film’s success and his upcoming projects. Here are the highlights from the interaction.
The film has reached break-even. How happy are you?
I am extremely happy. Almost all areas in Andhra Pradesh have already reached break-even. It’s a long weekend, with Monday also being a holiday. Very soon, Nizam and the remaining territories will also be covered.
The response from audiences has been fantastic. What made us even happier is that distributors and buyers are very satisfied with the results.
Was the film planned specifically for a festival release?
Yes, we started this film with the clear intention of releasing it during a festival. We completed the entire shoot in just 65 days.
Unlike Ravi Teja garu’s regular mass films, we wanted to bring a clean family entertainer for the festive season. Audiences are enjoying it immensely, and we are keen on making more such films in the future.
This Sankranthi once again proved that good family entertainers have huge demand during the festive season.
Director Kishore Tirumala was very active during promotions…
Absolutely. Kishore garu was deeply involved in promotions. Our director, hero, and heroines all extended great support for promotions. From tomorrow, we will also be starting promotional tours.
All Sankranthi releases turned out to be successful. How do you see this?
It’s a rare and wonderful moment. All five films that released during Sankranthi performed very well. A Chiranjeevi garu film is always the first option for the festival, and most audiences have already watched it. From the second week onwards, all the other films, including ours, will have an even stronger run. The second and third weeks are going to be very good.
You are handling multiple projects simultaneously. How is the experience?
We knew from the beginning that Ravi Teja garu’s film would release first, so we focused more on this project. Paradise has a strong team, and we have our own people managing it well. All the films are progressing smoothly.
How do you select your stories?
I listen to every story personally. After that, I share it with a few trusted people. Only after locking the story do we finalize the budget.
How was your experience working with Ravi Teja again?
This is my second film with him. The first one didn’t come out exactly the way we planned, but this time, every element worked perfectly as envisioned. Audiences are thoroughly enjoying the film. Ravi Teja garu is like a brother to us.
We also shot for nearly 20 days in Spain for this film. Audiences are enjoying those visuals on the big screen. Shooting abroad is comfortable, and story-wise, Spain was a requirement.
Will ‘Paradise’ release in March?
We are trying our best to bring it in March.
Ram Charan’s film is also scheduled for March…
We won’t arrive at the same time. We are all friends. There is a big gap during summer, and not many big films are lined up. Even one film per month is sufficient. We made a mistake by overburdening distributors this time; we don’t want that to happen again.
When will the Chiranjeevi garu project begin?
We will start it immediately after completing Paradise. It is a period film with a strong backdrop.
We are also planning a love story with Kishore Tirumala, though the cast is yet to be finalized. Personally, I have always wanted to make a film like Arundhati, and efforts are on to develop such a powerful story.
You are encouraging many newcomers…
Yes. We introduced Srikanth with Dasara. The director of KJQ is also a newcomer, and that film will release soon. The Dulquer Salmaan film we are producing is also being directed by a new director.
The Dulquer Salmaan–Pooja Hegde combination is coming out beautifully. Their pairing looks fantastic. We give complete creative freedom to new directors. The Dulquer film will have nearly 35 days of shooting in the USA.
Do you have a dream project?
I want to make a film that the entire industry will talk about with pride. I strongly believe that dream will be fulfilled with Paradise. About 60 percent of the shoot is already complete, and most of it is being shot on sets. The film is shaping up brilliantly.
Read Also: Bhartha Mahasayulaki Wignyapthi Review: a Fun Festive Entertainer