‘WHY SHOULD I APPROACH PRABHAS, MAHESH BABU?’
...asks filmmaker MS Raju, who feels experimental films are the way forward
Filmmaker MS Raju, whose comeback film Dirty Hari
(2020) was raved about, is ready with 7 Days, 6 Nights, another youthful entertainer.
It is about four youngsters (two boys and two girls) on a pleasure trip to Goa.
“The film talks about their takeaways from the trip, the life lessons they learnt there,” says Raju, adding that the film is filled with fun moments, emotions and drama but has an underlying message as well.
In the first half of his career, Raju made films primarily for family audiences. However, since his return, he has been making films aimed at young people.
“I wanted to break the rules and take an unconventional route. I made Dirty Hari and won appreciation. I have changed as a filmmaker and realised that change is inevitable,” he says.
7 Days 6 Nights stars Raju’s son Sumanth Ashwin, along with Meher Chahal, Krithika Shetty and Rohan. It was predominantly shot in Goa, apart from Hyderabad and Karnataka.
Revealing a scary moment, Raju says that while shooting in Gao, his son had a narrow escape. “We were shooting on the rocks on a Goa beach. It was dangerously wet and slippery. We were shooting a song. In the process, my son slipped and fell on the rocks,” he reveals, adding that though Sumanth was thankfully unharmed, he called off the shooting for the day.
In a career spanning over 33 years, Raju has seen several ups and downs, and he describes his journey as a ‘rollercoaster
ride.’ The filmmaker is also credited for giving the ‘first blockbuster’ to superstars like Mahesh Babu (Okkadu), Prabhas (Varsham), Prabhudeva (Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana), etc.
Asked why he doesn’t make films with stars anymore, Raju says, “Why should I approach them?
I don’t want to take tensions at this stage of my life and run into huge debts.” He adds that even when he did make movies with stars, he did not depend on them for the success of his films. “Since I am also a screen writer, my focus has been on writing and story-telling,” he explains. He says he loves making experimental films and feels they are his best way forward.
WE WERE SHOOTING ON THE ROCKS ON A GOA BEACH. IT WAS DANGEROUSLY WET AND SLIPPERY. WE WERE SHOOTING A SONG. IN THE PROCESS, MY SON SLIPPED AND FELL ON THE ROCKS THOUGH SUMANTH WAS THANKFULLY UNHARMED. BUT IT WAS A VERY SCARY MOMENT