Romance, Parasuram way...

It has been a decade since Parasuram made his debut with ‘Yuvatha’. While his subsequent films like ‘Solo’, ‘Anjaneyulu’ and ‘Srirastu Subhamastu’ did good business; ‘Sarocharu’ sank without a trace at the box-office, leaving him with no work for almost three years.  

More mature from experience, more so after things did not go exactly the way he would have loved, he admits that a blockbuster, despite his reputation, has eluded him. He, however, insists that while he remains oblivious of such things, his thought-process was not affected when penning a new script. To underscore this positivity in his mindset, he promises that ‘Geetha Govindam’, his Independence Day release, will be his first blockbuster. 

“A blockbuster is dependent on a good script, a combination of good actors, the perfect blend of technicians and great songs. Those apart, the timing of the release is very important,” Parasuram reckons while speaking to Sunday Hans. “Any film is, invariably, an emotional experience. As you get to spot the pitfalls while making it, you can attend to them and rectify. By and large, one fails to make amends because of various inexplicable reasons. To drive home the point better, I can say that if given five more working days to address the issues of ‘Sarocharu’, it would’ve been a hit,” he reasons.

‘Geetha Govindam’ is his first film with current sensation Vijay Deverakonda. It is also the actor’s first solo release after the phenomenal success of ‘Arjun Reddy’. Did it take time for both of them to gel as they come from different school of thought?  

“Once Vijay endorsed the script, it took us seven months to rope in a heroine. We’ve approached A-listers to upcoming actresses for the role of Geetha, but to no avail. Although, a majority of them liked the script, they had their own reservations for not signing on the dotted line, which I understood. Rashmika Mandanna too was given a narration but it’s just that she took time to say yes. All this happened before ‘Arjun Reddy’ had hit the screens,” Parasuram recalls, admitting that by the time the film moved to sets, both he and Vijay had established a professional and personal bond that helped the actor to understand what was expected of his performance. 

“He is sincere and had no complaints even if the shoot went into long hours. People who’ve gone crazy about him after ‘Arjun Reddy’ will now start loving him more after ‘Geetha Govindam’,” prophesises the ‘rediscovered’ man on the move. Parasuram points out that the film, which is running high on expectations, is inspired by the legend of Lord Krishna and Radha. 

“Radha calmly went about adoring Krishna. Over here, the situation is reverse. Govind (played by Vijay) considers Geetha (Rashmika) as someone who was born for him and treats her like his angel. What happens during this process and the obstacles they face is what the film is all about,” he shares, adding that Govind aspires to become a scientist after completing M.Sc Physics. 

“As he waits for a position, he takes up a lecturer’s job in Hyderabad, while Geetha is a software employee. The story moves from there and their chemistry, mark my words, will sweep the audience off their feet,” he assures. 
Meanwhile, the media-shy director doesn’t believe in the idea of a bound script as he is obsessed with encouraging new ideas.

“Why should I not? Writing is a never-ending process and without deviating from the boundaries of the characters, I want to improve as much as I can,” Parasuram, known for his killer one-liners, asserts. “I lost my mother when I was 19. I’ve mostly had a rough life until I turned a director. Perhaps, my growing-up experiences help me to write well because I tend to see life from close quarters with a clearer perspective,” he explains.

Parasuram hasn’t dabbled in different genres, preferring to confine himself to the romantic space.  ‘Srirastu Subhamastu’ was a romantic comedy, while ‘Sarocharu’ a romantic drama. ‘Geetha Govindam’ too falls in the romantic space. Does he want to delve into deeper waters moving forward?  

He notes that while he likes other genres too, he is practical in life, pointing out that just because ‘Srirastu Subhamastu’ is a hit; it doesn’t mean that he can go to the likes of Mahesh Babu, NTR and Allu Arjun and convince them to do a film under his direction. “A star hero won’t believe you blindly because the stakes have gotten bigger. If he’s convinced that working with you will guarantee a certain amount of returns, I’ll take out the action scripts that I have in my closet,” he informs.

He adds as an after-thought, “I like the romance genre because the satisfaction that you get if your love story ticks is incomprehensible. Plus, if I did not have ‘Geetha Govindam’ script before ‘Srirastu Subhamastu’ released, I’d have tried out a new genre.” Like the star cast of ‘Geetha Govindam’, even he is keeping his fingers crossed as the August 15 D-Day draws closer.