Remakes are my cup of tea

Director Bhimaneni Srinivaas Raavu, who has also produced ‘Speedunnodu’, a remake of Tamil hit ‘Sundarapandian’, admits he never thought of venturing into production. “We thought of a couple of producers but it didn’t work out. May be since the original is raw, they backed out. Finally I decided to produce it myself,” he states.

Filmed in villages around Hyderabad and Kurnool predominantly, the comic drama, starring Bellamkonda Sreenivas and Sonarika, traces the story of five friends who meet after a long time. “Their meeting happens due to a girl and the contrasting perceptions that stem because of her are narrated in an entertaining yet gripping way,” he shares.

While he and Sreenivas are actively promoting the film, Sonarika, the film’s leading lady, has been missing from the action. The director reasons, “Sonarika is honoring her other filmi and modeling commitments. We thought of releasing the film last month and her dates to promote the film were adjusted accordingly but since we are arriving now, her dates went haywire. Nonetheless, she will join us soon.”

Bhimaneni, who made a living out of remaking films, says remakes are his cup of tea. “I started off my career by assisting Editor Mohan and RB Chowdary who were fascinated remaking films. And when I made my directorial debut, Mohan garu insisted that I try my luck with a remake. Since then, everyone thought that I’m good at remakes and I was offered them mostly,” he maintains, adding, “I’m comfortable remaking a film because you are working on a subject that the audience already accepted.

However, if I come across a good subject I will definitely do an original screenplay.” Insisting that he never thought of making a sequel to ‘Sudigadu’, he says he believes in making good cinema for which he takes his own sweet time. “I don’t believe in making a film per year. I know for a fact that audience want to watch good films and I want to satiate them irrespective of the time I consume to start a new film.”