Rajamouli’s plans to save RRR from COVID annoys other filmmakers
Telugu film producers seem to be upset with Rajamouli though none have the courage to say so openly
When SS Rajamouli decided to release his multilingual film RRR on 7 January, a week before the popular festivals of Pongal and Sankranti, other filmmakers had to push their release dates behind because they did not want to come in the way of what is an expected box office juggernaut.
But when the COVID situation got worse, Rajamouli decided to push the release to protect the interests of the producer of the Hindi rights Jayantilal Gada. Sources report murmurs from producers who’d moved their dates behind — including the Chiranjeevi film Acharya, the Pawan Kalyan starrer Bheemla Nayak — about the decision to announce and then cancel the date at the last moment.
One of our sources states, “They assumed that a respected filmmaker like Rajamouli would’ve given advance notice and helped the release of other Telugu films, which are not pan-India films. Films like Bheemla Nayak and Sarkaru Vaari Paata could’ve availed of the opportunity. While no one’s openly speaking against Rajamouli, they’d all shifted their dates earlier on his request and now feel let down.” Adding to the sentiment, Tummalapallu Rama Satyanarayana, the treasurer and executive committee member of the Telugu Film Producers Council (TFPC), states that fans are upset. “Fans of actors like Ram Charan and Junior NTR are upset because they were looking forward to seeing their films; the postponement has hurt them,” says Rama Satyanarayana.
HOWEVER, THE ‘LET DOWN’ MIGHT WORK FOR SOME
“As such, the industry is happy with the decision because now other states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are at only
50% occupancy, and there’s a very high likelihood that Jagan Reddy, AP’s CM, will call a curfew around the 16th of the month,” explains Satyanarayana. “There are
1,147 theatres in AP and 600 in Telangana. Even Bheemla Nayak was planning to come on Sankarati but since there is a political rivalry between Pawan Kalyan and Jagan, the curfew would have surely been imposed. So, the industry feels that Rajamouli’s decision is appropriate.”
The two postponements, which was preceded by the postponement of the Hindi film Jersey, also meant that smaller filmmakers are welcoming the decision.