Why do you work with new directors often?
Why shouldn't I? We should encourage new talent. If we wouldn't do that and work only with the 'established' directors, how can we get Rajamouli's or Vinayak's. Weren't Rajamouli and Vinayak newcomers at the time of
Student No.1 and
Aadi respectively? Though
Naa Alludu and some of the films bombed, it doesn't mean that the fault lies in the new directors.
Are you introducing any other new directors?
I will be doing a film with Mahadev, Rajamouli's associate. He narrated me a story. I liked it. Meher Ramesh is debuting in Telugu with
Kantri, my next film.
Tell us about
Kantri?
Kantri will soon go to the sets. It is directed by Meher Ramesh. He is Poori Jagannadh's associate and directed two hit movies in Kannada - remake of
Andhrawala and remake of
Okkadu. He is very talented; I know for a long time. Ashwinidutt gaaru is producing it.
Is it true that you are going to work with Puri Jagannadh again even after the debacle of
Andhrawala?
See. We shouldn't judge anyone by one flop.
Andhrawala flopped because of the image that I got after
Simhadri. By the time,
Simhadri released and became sensation; we have completed 80 percent of
Andhrawala shooting. It was too late to change to suit the image that I got after
Simhadri. We are going to work together again but it takes some time. I liked the way he portrayed hero's character in the film.
Do you surf the websites?
Yes, I do. I regularly read two prominent websites. One among them is yours - Telugucinema.com. Both these websites are respected by many in the industry too. At least twice or thrice a week I read the sites.
Interviewed by Sri Atluri
Edited by Navya Vaitla
