Producer Sudhakar Reddy is elated that 'Vikram' is running to packed houses in Telugu. In this interview, he throws light on the film's success.
Reddy is actor Nithiin's father. He also talks about his son's upcoming projects. The distributor-producer at Sreshth Movies also answers why he is against high ticket prices.
The success of 'Vikram' in Telugu has made us happy. I have used my experience to get the Telugu version released on 370 to 400 screens. On Day One, 'Major' was released in a greater number of theatres. And now, the number of screens screening 'Vikram' has gone up.
This is a cent percent director's movie. Since Kamal Haasan garu produced the movie on his home banner and 'Vikram' features three stars, I felt I should acquire the release rights. My decision has turned out to be wise!
I am expecting the movie to gross Rs 20 Cr in Telugu by the end of Thursday. The movie was acquired on a Minimum Guarantee basis. It has been a very big hit.
After watching 'Kaithi' and 'Master', I got confidence in Lokesh Kanagaraj. Also, he is a fan of Kamal garu. I believed that 'Vikram' will be a good movie and therefore decided to release it in Telugu.
I met with Kamal garu after the movie's success. He is very happy. At this age, he has been visiting various cities for one month to promote 'Vikram'. He believed that selling the release rights to me would serve the Telugu version well. Right from the first show, 'Vikram' received positive word of mouth. I will also be releasing the sequel to this movie.
I haven't been distributing movies for years. In Nizam, only two distributors have been around for one film. In Andhra Pradesh, multiple distributors distribute a film. In Nizam, the risk factor has gone up for distributors who release big-ticket movies. If something goes wrong, it will be disastrous.
As a distributor/producer, I go by the hero, the director, and the story. I, Nithiin and my daughter participate in decision-making.
'Macherla Niyojakavargam' will be released on August 11. Nithiin will next do a film in Vakkantham Vamsi's direction. It might hit the cinemas in January next year. After that, a film with Surender Reddy will be there. It will be an entertainer like 'Kick' and 'Race Gurram'.
We have shelved 'Power Peta', as we are not satisfied with the early output.
When I am the producer of my son's movie, I can spend large sums on him. If I want Rs 2 Cr to be spent on a fight sequence, I can do so without anybody's consent. If someone else is the producer, it would look like I am exerting pressure on him by virtue of being the hero's father!
I have no plans to get into politics as of now. I neither have time for OTT. As of now, I am not planning anything on the OTT front.
I am against the new trend of increasing cinema ticket prices for movies. In the days of OTT, when even films like 'Sarkaru Vaari Paata' are streaming on OTT within 3 weeks, high prices discourage the audience from visiting theatres. Three weeks pass just like that! The government permits a price range. And producers are going for the maximum price.
'Baahubali 2' collected huge sums with normal rates in Nizam, collecting Rs 55 Cr. At that time, people watched good movies on repeat. Nowadays, nobody is going for a repeat watch. Two people watching a movie costs them Rs 1000! Nobody is watching even good movies twice or thrice. Chennai city has lesser prices than Hyderabad. Metros like Bengaluru and Mumbai opt for high prices only during weekends.
I feel high ticket prices are having a negative result on cinema collections. If OTT platforms offer high amounts for digital rights, producers get tempted. There is a window of 5 weeks between theatrical and OTT releases for small movies and 50 days for big movies. But producers are not adhering to this rule if the theatrical run flops and some OTT platform offers a high price in the meanwhile.
If Nithiin has to do a pan-India film, it has to be a multi-starrer.
