Sankranthi fame MS Raju known for many hits and miss has come out with yet another dream project ‘Maska’ starring Ram, Hansika Motwani and Sheela. The movie under Sumanth Arts Productions is now ready for release on January 14, 2009. Hence MS Raju called for a press conference at Rama Naidu Studios on Friday where he screened all the songs in his film Maska. Some excerpts from a discussion with him.
Can you give a brief idea about ‘Maska’?
If you ask me the ‘Maska’ must have been derived by the word ‘Namaskaram’ because ‘Maska’ is part of Na’maska’ram. One has to please (Maska) the other in order to get some job done. Without this phenomenon you cannot find anything moving in this world. As regards ‘Maska’ I’ve worked on this film without trying any experiments, giving a simple message with total entertainment.
How is your association with the director?
Basically B Gopal hails from a mass background and his confident approach with the measured steps has proved that he can do youth films also. For a person like me with short fuse, this director has given immense comfort and room for a collective approach in the project.
Would you give some idea about the lead actors?
Ram shows the signs of future big star. His impeccable acting abilities perfect dance steps and a positive body language are all his assets. He has improved upon his past performance and delivered his best. I expect this film to improve his already earned image to better heights. When it comes to Hansika there is no need to introduce an already famous heroine. She has done her part meticulously. The second heroine, Sheela did bring out the best acting for the performance based role she has taken up.
What is Sunil’s role in the film?
We have given a very important role to Sunil needing his presence in the entire length of the movie as he did in ‘Manasantha Nuvve’. He has done justice to his role and some punch dialogues will remain forever in the minds of audience.
Is there any breach in the budget for ‘Maska’?
It’s my style not to insist upon low standards. To cite an incidence in ‘Nuvvosthanante Nenodhantana’ film I built a best house like set in Araku even though I could have managed with one of the readymade houses. Similarly for ‘Maska’ also I did not object for the quality and natural about four plus crores have been spent beyond budget.
This is first time with Chakri, isn’t it?
Yes! As you are aware my films have certain importance to music and leave a permanent impression. Seeing Chakri’s success I wanted to use his talents in ‘Maska’. It took a considerable amount of time to match our frequencies and ultimately I’m happy with the outcome.
What about lyrics?
Kandikonda also does it for the first time to me. Infact he impressed me on a sample work and captured the entire film’s work. Very talented indeed!
What is the release strategy for the film?
This time I will be releasing more prints than my previous films. Krishna district will have 18 prints and Vizag 30 prints as against 6 prints and 12 prints of ‘Okkadu’. Nizam tops the list with 90 prints. Altogether around 300 prints would be released.
Do you feel absence of big films during Sankranthi is an advantage for you?
As a producer I must look at my film. To do well under any circumstances I’ve achieved positive results in the past in spite of releases of big heroes’ pictures. To cite a best example my movie ‘Varsham’ was a super duper hit inspite of release of movies like Chiranjeevi’s ‘Anji’ and Balakrishna’s ‘Lakshmi Narasimha’.
What prompts your decision on self distribution of ‘Maska’?
There are a few reasons. Initially I’m not in a good shape with finance. Secondly due to Ram’s success in the industry ‘Maska’ claims very high premium. Thirdly, my best friend D. Suresh Babu’s recommendations in similar lines with ‘Manasantha Nuvve’. It was he who viewed ‘Manasantha Nuvve’ initially and compelled me to release on my own ending up with sizable profit. Similarly after seeing this film he is particular that I release it.
