Anil Ravipudi interview: I want to deliver a mega blockbuster for Chiranjeevi sir

Barely a time earlier the merchandise of his caller Telugu film, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu starring Chiranjeevi and Nayantara, writer-director Anil Ravipudi takes a breather. It has been a time of media interactions astatine his bureau successful Hyderabad, successful betwixt which helium rushes to implicit last-minute station accumulation checks. 

“My enactment is done lone erstwhile the last output is sent. Until the past moment, each our efforts are towards bettering the film. I anticipation I americium capable to present a mega blockbuster for Chiranjeevi sir,” helium reasons. A fewer minutes ago, helium and his squad were understandably elated connected seeing the frenzied bookings arsenic soon arsenic tickets were disposable connected online booking apps. Yet, Anil Ravipudi is keeping his fingers crossed. “The archetypal amusement is the cardinal to knowing however the assemblage volition person a film,” says the director. The movie releases connected January 12.

In 11 years, Anil has directed 9 films and is the lone Telugu manager isolated from S S Rajamouli to person had a 100% container bureau occurrence record. Reflecting connected his vocation arsenic a manager from Pataas (2015) to Sankranthiki Vasthunam(2025), helium says, “I ne'er instrumentality the assemblage for granted. I americium my biggest critic. After each film, I analyse what worked and which portions could person been better. I ticker each my films successful theatres, lasting successful a country of the hallway and keenly observing however radical react. The absorption of the assemblage is the lone barometer to measure what works. I person followed this signifier adjacent successful the years erstwhile I was penning for different directors.”

Anil worked arsenic an adjunct manager and aboriginal a screenwriter successful the mid 2000s. For him, the knack of assessing films and screenplays began successful his engineering days. “I spent much clip successful theatres than successful college. I would ticker 40 to 45 films successful a period and past animatedly analyse them with my friends. I deliberation each that helped erstwhile I began writing”, Anil says.

His penning process has been clear. Once helium decides the genre and locks an idea, helium outlines the communicative and quality arcs. Then, his squad joins successful and the screenplay takes shape. “We person respective discussions and arguments. I americium not rigid astir doing it my way. I perceive to suggestions, changes are made and yet I instrumentality the call. It takes 3 to 4 months to finalise a screenplay,” helium explains.

Once the screenplay is ready, Anil narrates the communicative and scenes to a cross-section of people, from his friends to acquaintances. “They are besides a portion of the assemblage for my films. So I request to cognize if a communicative oregon a series would entreaty to them. On sets, I narrate the pursuing day’s scenes to the unit to spot if we are connected the close track.”

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, referred to arsenic MSG in movie circles and societal media, is Anil’s archetypal collaboration with Chiranjeevi, the superstar whose films helium had grown up watching. The manager recalls his archetypal gathering with the superstar a fewer years ago, erstwhile helium was introduced to him by seasoned manager Raghavendra Rao. “He introduced maine to Chiranjeevi garu as a promising director, and stated that helium should enactment with me. I past pitched a mates of ideas to Chiranjeevi sir but those did not enactment out. I narrated the thought of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu sometime earlier Sankrantiki Vasthunam. He was impressed with the conception and gave maine implicit state to make it with my trademark drama household play traits. Once the screenplay was ready, helium heard the full narration and was convinced astir the film,” says Anil.

In the film, Chiranjeevi plays a nationalist information officer, who, connected the idiosyncratic front, has to gain brownie points with his wife, played by Nayanthara. Anil asserts that the effort has been to bring backmost the aura of the superstar’s vintage era, and that helium is presented successful a suave avatar. “There’s action, comedy, romance and household play with 2 children involved, and the movie is tailored to Chiranjeevi sir’s ‘massy’ image,” helium says.

In Sankrantiki Vasthunam, the property spread betwixt Venkatesh Daggubati and Meenakshi Chaudhary was addressed done humour. Anil says that determination is immoderate self-deprecating humour astir the property origin successful MSG, but hastens to add, “Look astatine Chiru sir. He looks similar a antheral successful his mid 30s, overmuch younger than his existent property (the histrion turned 70 a fewer months ago). He was conscious astir his fitness, fare and looks each done the film. He plays a antheral successful his mid 40s and Zarina Wahab plays a fantastic quality arsenic his mother.”

Anil says it was casual to found the director-actor rapport connected sets to guarantee creaseless workflow. However, arsenic idiosyncratic who grew up watching Chiranjeevi films, Anil besides utilized the accidental of interacting with the superstar to recognize the making of his blockbusters from the 1980s and 1990s, specified arsenic Kodama Simham.

A item of MSG would beryllium the portions featuring Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh successful an extended cameo. Anil says these portions were good thought out, down to the past enactment of dialogue, to guarantee that the 2 legends are successful sync and that the amusive translates onto the screen. “They had amusive essaying their respective parts — Shankara Vara Prasad and Venky Gowda — and it is simply a conception successful which they marque amusive of each different and onslaught an casual rapport. They improvised connected the spot to heighten the amusive quotient,” says Anil.

MSG is Anil Ravipudi’s 4th movie to beryllium timed for merchandise during Sankranti festivities. But the manager says irrespective of merchandise dates, his task is chopped retired — to present films that link with the audience. “Writing drama is not casual astatine all. Sankranti is simply a clip erstwhile radical privation an entertaining film. Only if the contented is bully volition radical travel to ticker a movie good aft the opening weekend,” says the director. 

While helium has consistently delivered hits, determination has besides been immoderate disapproval of his benignant of humour, which isn’t ever classy. “I americium ever unfastened to affirmative and constructive feedback which tin assistance amended my craft. But I person besides learnt to not beryllium bothered by trolls.”