Ravi Babu has established himself as one of the most peculiar and versatile filmmakers of Telugu Cinema with different subjects each time. He prefers to choose interesting subjects and scripts every time and experimented with every genre such as Comedy, Action, Thriller, and what not! Now the director is all set to entertain the audience with Avunu-2, a sequel to Avunu which was commercially successful. On the eve of Avunu-2 releasing this Friday, here is an exclusive chitchat with the filmmaker:
Hello Ravi Babu…how are you doing?
Hi..I am doing well.
Please tell us about your latest project Avunu-2 ..
This film begins exactly from where Avunu ended. It cannot be necessarily called a sequel because usually sequels have no connection between each part. But I am not doing like that and we are maintaining the continuity. The same characters who made appearance in the first part can be seen in this.
Will there be any new characters in this part?
There are few new characters suiting the family audience. Sanjana did a key role and I am sure it would be a great asset for this film.
Did you have plans to make a sequel for Avunu even before it was on sets? Or it is just because Avunu became a hit?
I did have plans of sequel even before Avunu was on sets because the story has great scope for a sequel. The best of it can be explored in better dimensions of the story.
Don’t you feel the audience might be slightly disappointed to have to wait for the story to continue in sequel every time?
There are many successful sequel franchises in Hollywood like Superman, Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings. I don’t think audience would be disappointed because we ensure that entertainment factor is not missed even a bit.
Does this mean you would make Avunu-3 as well?
(Laughs) Yes definitely! This film would end at a point and I am sure it has good scope for a next part!
Is there any specific reason for casting Poorna again in this film?
She is a talented actress. Very subtle and has great focus while performing. She did a great job in Avunu and that’s why I felt she is the right choice.
How was it working with budding actor Harshavardhan?
Harshavardhan’s character is extremely good in Avunu-2. He did a great job in the nonstop 6 minutes scene and took only single take for it. He was so drained out after the scene that he threw up just after it was okayed. This shows the dedication he has towards acting. I am sure he will get great name with this film.
Your films are always different with respect to technical values. Will this film also follow the same norm?
Yes, we took great care for technical area for this film. We didn’t use any artificial lighting and made the best use of lights on the realistic locations.
You manage to make good quality films with fewer budgets. How is that possible?
I take more time for pre production. Say if a film’s shooting commences for 45 days, I do nearly three months of background work for it. For Avunu-2 I didn’t use a single paper for script writing. The entire script was typed on computer and every scene was sent by WhatsApp to assistant directors and the artists. We made best use of technology for this film. In fact, the film has over 45 min of graphics but nobody can identify that it was graphics on screen!
Why do you think your last film Laddu Babu failed at the Box Office?
It was an experimental flick. Usually people expect Allari Naresh films to be entertaining but this film is more story based. Audience didn’t expect it and hence the film backfired.
Will you be working with big heroes anytime in the near future?
I never got a motivation to work with big heroes. I know almost every big hero and maintain close friendship with every one of them and they keep on asking me for it. They even keep on asking me about doing a film together but somehow didn’t get such motivation till now.
Upcoming projects?
I will be doing an action oriented film which is story based and breaks the stereotype image of typical action flicks.
What is your take on awards and honors?
Most of the awards these days are by lobbying that’s why I don’t bother much about it. But if any one of my team members gets awards I feel happy that their hard work has been recognized.
Okay..wishing you the best for Avunu-2 and forthcoming projects!
Thanks a lot!