Tamil producer S Vinod Kumar who is basking in the success of ‘Mark Antony’ starring stars like Vishal and Suryah is a bit surprised with less footfalls in Telugu states for his gangster movie. “It will pick up in the days to come,” he says. He claims that Vishal has made a big comeback and also talks about the brief role of Silk Smitha in the movie with Deccan Chronicle.
Q: Your film ‘Mark Antony’ hasn’t pulled in big crowds in AP, TS?
A: Frankly, we were surprised with low numbers in Telugu states but we are hopeful that our unique gangster movie blended with comedy will pick up on word-of-mouth publicity since we know Telugu audiences love novel content. However, it is doing roaring business in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other places and Vishal is back with a bang, while Suryah again proved his mettle.
Q: Vishal has a big following among Telugu viewers after delivering big hits like ‘Pandem Kodi’ and ‘Abhimanyu’?
A: We are aware of his expanding market in Telugu states. Actually, Vishal spent a couple of days in Hyderabad and promoted the film aggressively. It is bound to reflect in the days to come since Vishal has a lot of Telugu fans. It would register good numbers since the film boasts of terrific performances by Vishal and Suryah revolving around a unique time travel phone.
Q: But Silk Smitha portions were unsatisfactory for Telugu viewers?
A; Actually, we wanted to spring a surprise on the audience by suddenly showing iconic actress Silk Smitha in a few shots and thrill the audience. It would have cost us a bomb to extend her role since CG work has become quite costlier these days. It was meant to be a blink-and-miss appearance and it truly paid off as the audience loved it. We couldn't extend it because it was not our main story as well.
Q: You have made the costliest film in your career?
A: I have made films like 'Enemy' but this could go down as the most expensive film in my career. We didn't mind spending lavishly since the script demanded it as we had to recreate different periods, the looks of the actors and so on.
