The current generation of actors are surely leaving no stone unturned to seize new opportunities. But the catch is that despite having reputed production houses in their own backyard, the likes of Sudheer Babu, Rana Daggubati, Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan among others, have decided to float their own ventures and turn producers.
Everyone knows that actor Sudheer Babu is really close to superstar Mahesh Babu and Krishna, who earlier bankrolled films. And now, he is all set to turn producer independently. He says, “I do not like to bank on my family’s laurels and that’s how I have been. I have evolved as an actor and gained respect for the choice of films I’ve made.Today, I’m in a position to do films of my choice which I can produce on my own. Initially, I had great scripts and ran behind producers, but none of them came forward. So now I want to be a hope for all those aspiring people.”
For someone like Rana Daggubati, who was born into a film family, the challenge of foraying into new avenues prompted him to wear the hat of a producer. Having seen his father, Suresh Babu, and grandfather, Ramanaidu, produce films over the last four decades, the actor says he was always keen to explore more businesses in filmmaking. “I guess a producer’s job is to ultimately get out the content in the best possible way. I am keen to produce and deliver unique content, and as an actor, I have a better understanding of the filmmaking process. I ran a successful company, produced films and have recently forayed into talent management. And I love exploring the various business opportunities of delivering unique content in the entertainment industry.”
But isn’t testing the waters as producer a risky move, especially for a well-established actor? Rana agrees and says, “A bit risky, but the key to success in filmmaking business is always creating unique content. You never know which film pays you the dividends; so learning from the failures helps you make smarter moves.”
Joining the bandwagon is actor Ram Charan. With two production houses in the family, the actor raised many eyebrows when he wore the producer’s hat for his father, megastar Chiranjeevi’s 150th film Khaidi No 150. Interes tingly, the actor says that it happened by chance. “My mother has been nurturing the idea of producing a film with one of us — dad, (Pawan) Kalyan babai or I — since over 15 years, but somehow it didn’t materialise. For my dad’s comeback film, we were on the lookout for someone who could execute the project responsibly. And when he casually asked my mom if she wanted to produce the film, she said she could pull it off and I supported her.”
But wasn’t producing a film alongside acting a demanding task? “Not really, but the most challenging part as a producer was signing on the cheques (laughs). I was literally tired of signing on the dotted lines,” he quips, adding, “I have learnt a lot of things as a producer — creatively and budget wise,” explains Charan, who is also producing his dad’s next film Syee Ra Narasimha.
And finally, not to be left out, is Pawan Kalyan, who also turned producer and floated his own production company last year. He is also bankrolling (along with director Trivikram Srinivas) Nithiin’s current film.
