Sri: Well, okay! And, what went wrong with the Vijetha Vikram?
M. Tirupathi Reddy:   Since both my ideas Maha Sangramam and Veta didn't work out, I thought I'd leave the story to the director this time. The story idea that was told to me was exciting enough, and I agreed, but the outcome was entirely different, as I was not involved much in the movie. The result showed at the BO too.

Sri: I think you did a Hindi film too, right?
M. Tirupathi Reddy: Yeah, I remade a Malayalam movie in Hindi with Jithendra (whose Telugu version was Anthima Theerpu by Joshi). The film, titled New Delhi, was a good hit and was also selected for the Moscow Film Festival. I even went to attend the fest at Tashkent on invitation from the Russian government.

Sri: I think Sumalatha was one artist who worked in all the three languages of the film - Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi versions...
M. Tirupathi Reddy: Yes, she did all the three versions, and the film was a big hit in all the languages. (The film is a free-make of a Sidney Sheldon's novel in English.)

Sri: You made so many big-budgeted movies back then. How come you didn't do any more films after that?
M. Tirupathi Reddy: You can say I turned wise (laughs)! When I was doing the film Khaidi, I had the enthusiasm and risk-taking attitude. The whole team that worked for the film had time to spend with us to discuss the story and were ready to do something new. After Khaidi, it was not the case anymore - all of the cast and technicians became stars by then and it clearly showed in the subsequent projects. They did not have the time or patience like in the past. For example, we exposed 40 rolls of film and shot for 40 days for the film Khaidi but the same team took 100 rolls of film and more than 100 working days for Veta. Also, the budget for each movie kept on increasing and the respect given to the producer kept on decreasing each day. Seeing all these changes, I was not happy about being in the field anymore! I did not also want my children to get attracted to the field, and I completely stopped any dealings with movie people and started concentrating on the business.

Sri: What are you doing now?
M. Tirupathi Reddy: Like I said, I am doctor, and I am still one. We have a real estate business too. My son Sunil and I look after that. I have a daughter who's happily married.

Interview: Sri
Edited by: NaChaKi