Filmmakers Cannot Work Under Fan-Driven Deadlines

With the makers of highly anticipated films ‘Varanasi’ and ‘Fauzi’ choosing to hold back their much-awaited video content, fans of Mahesh Babu and Prabhas have been left disappointed. However, industry observers believe filmmakers should not be forced to meet deadlines dictated by fan expectations, especially when working on large-scale projects.

Mahesh Babu fans were particularly disappointed after Rajamouli and his team did not unveil the much-awaited video glimpse of ‘Varanasi’ on the superstar’s birthday on August 9. Expectations had been building for a major update, but the makers instead released a few stills featuring Mahesh Babu. While fans expressed their disappointment on social media, the first-look pictures themselves received a terrific response.

Similarly, Prabhas’ ‘Fauzi’ also opted for a new poster featuring the actor instead of a video glimpse on Independence Day. The teaser was reportedly postponed due to a delay in one of the actor’s visas, which resulted in his portions of the shoot being pushed back. Since some of the footage required for the teaser could not be completed, the makers decided to defer its release.

Both films have consequently left fans waiting for substantial video content. However, producer Lagadapati Sridhar believes filmmakers should not succumb to pressure from fans or social media when deciding when to release promotional material.

“Every director is entitled to work on his own terms and they shouldn’t budge to fan pressure. Social media reactions have to be ignored to a certain extent,” says Lagadapati Sridhar. “Directors are making epic adventures and would definitely release the video glimpses of ‘Varanasi’ and ‘Fauzi’ at an appropriate time. There is a lot of money at stake and they need to be doubly careful,” he adds.

He feels fan wars have created unnecessary pressure on big stars and filmmakers to release updates on birthdays and festival occasions.

“It is unnecessary pressure which can be avoided,” he says. According to him, filmmakers such as Rajamouli and Hanu Raghavapudi will eventually enthral fans of their respective stars with the right content.

“Both ‘Varanasi’ and ‘Fauzi’ are ambitious projects that rely heavily on large-scale visuals and VFX. Fans should understand that such content takes time to create and filmmakers need to release it only when they are completely satisfied with the output. Putting pressure on them to meet fan-driven deadlines would be unfair,” he concludes.