'Chor Bazaar', which stars Puri Jagannadh's son Akash Puri as the hero, features Gehna Sippy as the heroine. The Jeevan Reddy directorial will hit the cinemas on June 24. UV Creations is releasing the movie in theatres.
In this interview, producer VS Raju of IV Productions talks about the romantic action entertainer at length.
I hail from a village near Bhimavaram. I entered the film industry to become a director in the 2000s. I worked as an Assistant Director for RGV's 'Raksha'. My friendship with director Jeevan Reddy began at that time. I have been an AD and a Co-Director for 7-8 movies such as 'Gundello Gundari'. 'Chor Bazaar' is my debut as a producer.
I and Jeevan have always discussed story ideas from the beginning. I have always liked the story of 'CB' because of its highly commercial nature. His 'George Reddy' was acclaimed but it didn't do well on the commercial front. Jeevan wanted to make 'CB' with full freedom and on a scale it deserved. That's why I decided to produce the movie.
The story is set in the backdrop of a market near the Telangana High Court. It has been around for many, many decades. It is said that the bazaar is where all stolen products reach and get sold in the second-hand market. Akash Puri's character inhabits this landscape. He is a perfect fit for the role since he is a budding hero. As soon as he listened to the story, he latched on to it. He was doing 'Romantic' at that time. The heroine is a speech-impaired girl. The portrayal and staging are entirely different.
Although I have been an AD, I didn't interfere with Jeevan's work. Due to the pandemic, the budget of 'CB' went up. The film was launched just before the second wave of the pandemic. Eight members in the direction department caught the virus and the shooting schedule had to be rejigged. Just the diesel costs touched Rs 1,50,000 every night because much of the film takes place at night time. I had expected it to be not more than Rs 50,000. Since I know the nitty-gritty of filmmaking, I didn't tell my director to compromise on quality.
The technical department researched the subject a lot. Archana garu of 'Nireekshana' fame has played the heroine's mother. This is her comeback movie.
Suresh Bobbili has previously worked with Jeevan on 'George Reddy'. The songs have shaped up so well. He couldn't compose the BGM because he was busy working on 'Virata Parvam' and a few other movies.
After Akash Puri liked the story, the script was narrated to Puri Jagannadh, who too liked it. Akash is a newcomer relatively. 'Mehabooba' and 'Romantic' were contrasting movies. With 'CB', he is surely going to reach commercial heights.
I am yet to line up my next project. If 'CB' becomes a hit, I will continue to produce movies.
