Rules Ranjann is the latest film at the Telugu box office starring actors Kiran Abbavaram and Neha Sshetty in the lead roles, The much-awaited movie is arriving in theatres worldwide on October 6. Directed by Rathinam Krishna, the film is bankrolled by Vemuri Murali Krishna and Divyang Lavania under the banner Star Light Entertainment Pvt Ltd.
Ahead of the film’s release, director Rathinam Krishna spoke to web/print journalists on Thursday. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
You’re the son of a famous producer. Why did it take so long for you to direct a movie after Oxygen?
Actually, I love to make movies, produce them, and direct them.. I have a good number of scripts with me that need a proper cast to take off. Even though I am the son of a producer, I’ve this in mind: why would anyone give me an opportunity to direct a film? Movie-making opportunities haven’t come. Because I have my own production. If I tell a story to actors, they might sometimes place an obligation stating that only I have to bankroll the film. because our home banner won’t look into the budget much. Our aim is always to bring out the best. So other houses get calculative and make their moves accordingly. People would eventually come to us to produce films in most cases. So for me, production and direction are two major responsibilities to handle. That’s the reason I couldn’t get a chance to direct films. Apart from that I am occupied with my production banner. We release three to four movies a year, I would oversee all the post-production works. I was supposed to do a movie with star Ajith garu 10 years ago. But I was occupied again in producing movies Arrambam, Yenthavadu Gaani, and Vedalam. Then I decided to direct a film. I narrated the script to the hero Gopichand.
Will there be your involvement in the movies that you personally produce?
Yes, it will certainly be there. I come across various filmmakers. When they narrate a story to me. Being a filmmaker myself, I would know which portions of the story has a lag. Where it is actually falling short. I first appreciate them and slowly try to tell them about the changes. Some would be hellbent on what they want to, how their film wants to be. For example, Arrambam director Vishnuvardhan, faced defeat at the Telugu box office with Panja. When he came to us, he took the inputs from my father, AM Rathnam garu. We had proper discussions and roped in good writers. We went on to the sets with the inputs of my father. And we scored a hit at the Tamil box office.
And what were your hopes on Rules Ranjann when you started it on the sets?
I made this film as my last one. I was on the verge of losing hope. I know what audiences are seeking nowadays. When we had shown the preview of Oxygen, a section of reviewers and audiences had enjoyed the comedy part but when it came to the technical or say the serious plot, they found it lapse. I understood that a film has to be one hundred percent entertaining only then it would strike a chord with audiences. The first half of Rules Ranjann appeals to class audiences and the second half for the mass audiences.
From all your experience in various crafts of the film business, you entered the market as a director. Do you think you achieved what you first aspired for?
See I can give the experience of watching Hollywood flick Matrix to Telugu audiences. Because I know the nuances of it. Even in my previous film Oxygen, there were intense fights. As far as today’s generation is concerned, no one is interested in watching a complicated story. A story with too many layers doesn’t work. It should be crisp and point-to-point. Rules Ranjann’s screenplay is very strong. It would not be a routine one. The film is going to be a boisterous comedy.
When did you approach Kiran Abbavaram with the script?
Frankly speaking, I have become a fan of Naveen Polishetty after watching Jathi Ratnalu. I tried many times approaching him with Rules Ranjann script. Because it would aptly suit him. I was waiting. I am not sure whether he is aware of it. Kiran Abbavaram’s SR Kalyanamadapam scored a hit. The talk was good. The name Kiran was suggested to me by friends. The script is the hero. It only suits the upcoming stars. So when we arranged a meeting with Kiran. He sat hestitatingly. But he didn’t show any signs of impatience. That’s when I understood that you got connected with the story. And slowly, we materialized the script to full-length film.
Has AM Rathnam garu watched the film Rules Ranjann?
He just watched a few rushes, he didn’t watch the final copy. My father wouldn’t interfere with what I do. Even when I wanted to do the film Oxygen, he was not aware of it. Even after I made up my mind to do Rules Ranjann. My dad wasn’t aware of it. He only got introduced to hero Kiran during the puja ceremony. But during the last rushes, I didn’t want to take a chance. So I showed the movie to my entire family. Kiran also once forced me to show the movie. I told him it is not possible to show a raw copy without dialogues.
You seem to be a staunch follower of astrology. We came to know that you have a personal astrologer accompanying you, what prediction does he give for Rules Ranjann?
It’s not a cricket match to give prediction (laughs). But astrology certainly works as a therapy. You sometimes feel low because things may not work as you expect them to. Astrology gives you some respite, a positive motivation to think positively. The whole team believes in astrology in fact. So far it augured well, I hope Rules Ranjann receives good reviews.