With ‘Adipurush’ drawing flak from critics and social media and Lord Hanuman’s dialogues being rewritten, new-age director Prashanth Varma, who is making a superhero Telugu movie ‘HanuMan’, has ensured that Lord Hanuman in his movie would be adored by all. He reveals in his chat with BVS Prakash of Deccan Chronicle.
Q: Did you observe the backlash received by makers of Adipurush for improper depiction of epic characters including Lord Hanuman?
A: I watched the movie and also observed the backlash. I don’t want to comment about their movie; rather I would assure that Lord Hanuman in our movie ‘HanuMan’ would be adored by one and all. We showed Hanuman avatar to kids, elders and historians and received terrific approval. Lord Hanuman will be depicted as he is etched in the minds of people for hundreds of years.
Q: Is your film all about Lord Hanuman?
A: Actually, it's the tale of an underdog who turns into a superhero with the blessings of Lord Hanuman. Although, audience will feel the presence of Hanuman throughout the movie, his actual appearance will be limited but would be impactful. It’s kind of a socio fantasy and we have done a lot of research to gather details and incorporate it into the script.
Q: What is the reason behind deferring the movie’s release?
A: As we are working with a limited budget and couldn’t afford top guns of VFX, we have to pick talented and efficient people for VFX work since we have 1600 VFX shots in the movie. It is taking some time but we are not in a hurry because we don’t want to rush setting a release date, rather wait for proper completion of the film, before announcing the date.
Q: We heard that the film has gone over budget and touched the 50 cr mark?
A: I can’t discuss the figures but for a socio fantasy film which is loaded with visual effects, the budget is bound to shoot up. For instance, if you spend Rs 10 crore for making the film, you have to spend another Rs 10 crores for delivering eye-pleasing visuals. After receiving overwhelming response for our version of Hanuman Chalisa, we are planning to release the second song soon.
Q: You have dabbled in different genres with ‘Awe’, Kalki’ and ‘Zombie Reddy’ and now a socio fantasy?
A: I love to explore varied genres and connect to the target audience. With ‘HanuMan’, I am hopeful of connecting with audiences from 6 to 60 years.
