Producer S Naga Vamsi of Sithara Entertainments is one of the most happening producers out there. His film 'DJ Tillu', the first crime comedy under the banner, is headed for a theatrical release this Saturday (February 12). In this interview, Naga Vamsi is kicked about Siddhu Jonnalagadda's talent. He talks about how the project happened, working with young talents, the change that the pandemic brought about at his banner, and the release issues concerning Pawan Kalyan's big-ticket movie 'Bheemla Nayak'.
I evinced interest to work with Siddhu Jonnalagada after watching his OTT release 'Krishna And His Leela'. I didn't want to do a rom-com with him, as it might turn out to be regular. I prodded him to come up with a non-routine genre. That's how things started falling in place for 'DJ Tillu'. He and director Vimal Krishna developed the story. Changes were suggested under the guidance of Trivikram sir later.
Last year, we discovered that our family entertainers 'Rang De' and 'Varudu Kaavalenu' had good content but the family audiences didn't turn up in huge numbers (due to the pandemic). Going by the advance bookings for 'DJ Tillu' in Hyderabad, I guess this is the kind of entertainer that can pull youngsters to theatres at this juncture. The collections are expected to improve as days pass, especially from Saturday in markets like Andhra.
It's true that we have plans to make the second part. The climax of 'DJ Tillu' has been kept open-ended for the same reason. There is a misconception that it's an adult film. It's not. Just because there is a kissing scene, you can't mischaracterize a film.
Radhika (Neha Shetty) games Tillu (Siddhu), who is innocent at heart. The story presents tropes that have been milked from the modern-day culture. At the same time, girls haven't been shown in poor light.
I totally fell in love with Siddhu's narration. I hope the audience members too find 'DJ Tillu' constantly funny. The background score is top-notch. The song 'Pataas Pilla' was sung by Anirudh Ravichander, who is a good friend of mine. 'Tillu DJ Pedithe' has struck a chord with the audience, thanks to Ram Miriyala's new style.
We at Sithara Entertainments are working with young talents. The likes of Siddhu need a push. Siddhu, Naveen Polishetty and Adivi Sesh are both actors as well as good writers. We are doing 'SIR' with Dhanush garu. The film will highlight the issues that the education sector has had to grapple with.
We didn't want to postpone 'DJ Tillu' to February 18 for the reason that 'Bheemla Nayak' has a chance of being released on February 25.
The release date of 'Bheemla Nayak' will be finalized soon depending on how the situation unfolds. At the moment, night curfews and 50% occupancy limits are still in force in AP. There is optimism on the front of ticket prices after today's meeting between Tollywood representatives and the Chief Minister of AP.
