Dil Raju’s comments on Hanu-Man: Not at all fair

As the president of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, ace producer and top distributor of Nizam, Dil Raju often comes to the rescue of Tollywood whenever there is a clash between films during festival seasons. He once again played the role of ‘Industry Pedda’ and ensured that Ravi Teja’s Eagle was moved out of the Sankranti race so that the remaining films would get adequate screens.

During yesterday’s meeting with the producers of all five Sankranti films, Dil Raju said Guntur Kaaram is the most preferred biggie of the festival and will get the majority of available screens. Next on the priority list would be Saindhav and Naa Saami Ranga. Hanu-Man is a small film and we will make sure it will get adequate number of screens, added Raju.

Is Hanu-Man a small film as labelled by Dil Raju? Many would not agree with this statement because Hanu-Man generated a lot of buzz immediately after the first look teaser was unveiled. The genre and the spectacular visuals enthused moviegoers of all age groups and also trade circles beyond the Telugu States.

Hanu-Man, though stars a small hero Teja Sajja and has an inexperienced director Prashanth Varma at the helm, was made with a staggering budget which is more than the making of Naa Saami Ranga and Saindhav. Only when we include the remunerations of Nagarjuna and Venkatesh, the budgets of their films might appear to be on the higher side than Hanu-Man.

Moreover, both Nagarjuna and Venkatesh are not in their prime form. The openings for both their films will be ordinary if they release during non-festival seasons. Content-wise, both Naa Saami Ranga and Saindhav appear to be regular commercial entertainers.

On the other side, Hanu-Man has the potential to take a massive opening if it gets a solid screen count. The amazing trailer filled with stunning visuals has evoked a unanimous response from all quarters. Also, Hanu-Man is the only film among Sankranti releases with universal content that can cut across all sections of audiences.

So, Dil Raju’s comments appear to be biased and unfair. It is unacceptable on his part to term a film with a strong chance to emerge as Sankranti winner just because he is distributing the remaining three films in Nizam area.