50% of 1 success due to FB, Twitter

Says director Sukumar who is keen to helm the Hindi version too, but is tight-lipped as Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan is expected to feature in it. He also talks about how ‘1’ is ahead of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘Inception’ in international movie ratings website and directing Hindi remake of his debut ‘Arya’

Despite mixed reviews, the box-office collections of Mahesh Babu-starrer ‘1: Nenokkadine’ have been steady. Admitting that it would have been different ball game together had Mahesh promoted the film before it opened in cinema halls, producer Gopi Achanta says, “His words about what kind of a film we’ve made would have done a world of good for the film on the opening day since the morning show is of paramount importance. However, it is our fault as we wanted him to endorse the film after the release.”

Nevertheless, both the producer and director Sukumar are cheerful that their film has received a rating of 9.2 on International Movie Database (IMDB) website, a portal that is widely followed by film admirers across the globe. ‘1: Nenokkadine’ superseded the ratings of internationally acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s cult hits – ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘Inception’. At present ‘1’ has taken the third spot on IMDB's highest rated thriller films with 9,300 votes. “What more we could have asked for? It’s an exciting piece of news to hear and be proud of. An international website rating our film as one of the best thrillers is truly an achievement for Telugu cinema,” exclaims Gopi Achanta, adding, “We are taking the film to international level. We will release the dubbed German and French versions from February 15.”

“I’m very happy to see a Telugu film making it on a global website. I consider fortunate to get 14 Reels Entertainment on board as producers. Director Surendar Reddy bemoaned the fact that I’ve got a chance to make a film like ‘1’ whereas he hasn’t got ‘one’,” Sukumar smiles.

The soft-spoken director insists that they’ve trimmed the film only for AP audience. “They weren’t expecting this kind of film. After the release, we’ve felt that it was too much for them; hence we had to chop 20 minutes of the film. It eventually helped as thrillers needs to be sharp. From the third day, the film has picked up,” he shares.

He is “extremely thankful” for the way social networking sites came to his rescue. “I attribute 50 per cent success of the film to Facebook and Twitter. It was like an online revolution and everybody was out there with their own reviews, praising the film. It was enriching to see it.”

With his style of filmmaking finding many takers, the director, if given an opportunity, is keen to direct Bollywood Superstar Aamir Khan in the remake of ‘1’. “It’s in the process and I can’t reveal anything about it. And who would lose an offer to direct Aamir?” he asks us. ‘Arya’ Hindi remake too is on the cards for him. “I’m still discussing the possibilities with producer Kumar S Taurani,” he concludes.