After the success of Yatra (2019), a biopic on late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, there were reports that filmmaker Mahi V Raghav would make a sequel, Yatra 2, focussing on YSR’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the present chief minister of the State. And now, the filmmaker has confirmed that there will indeed be a Yatra 2.
“It’s a story that I want to tell and it will be definitely told,” he says, speaking exclusively to Deccan Chronicle.
“I can’t talk about Yatra 2 now, I will share more details when I have clarity on timeframe, content and cast. Yatra 2 is definitely on the cards. But it's premature to comment at this point of time,” he adds.
When quizzed on who would play Y S Jagan in the biopic, all he would say was, “We don’t want an actor who emulates Jagan. Instead, we look for actors who can bring out his spirit and carry the essence of his personality.”
The filmmaker is also coming up with Save The Tigers (STT) a situational comedy. It tells the story of three frustrated husbands who meet by chance at a pub, and bond strongly over their similar marital problems. The trailer, which was released recently, has got a great response. “STT is a slice of a life show; it is about couples and the daily conflicts in their relationships. The intention is to capture the humour in those conflicts,” he shares.
“Generally, men claim to be tigers. Everyone knows who the tigers are in the house, but for the outside world, the man wants to be the tiger. So that’s why we thought to name the film Save The Tiger where tigers (men) are getting extinct due to the strong female resurgence. it's a humorous and a fun film that’s very relatable,” he adds.
Having made films for theatrical release, Mahi is also venturing into the OTT space. Does he see the platform as a threat to theatres, we ask. He says OTT is here to stay and it’s a once-in-a-life-time opportunity for filmmakers like him who can explore it both creatively and commercially.
“Creatively you can tell stories that you never told in films, and reach a wider audience. Commercially, the risk is lower for a filmmaker because it's the platform (streaming service) that is bearing the risk. So OTT is not a threat, but will complement and co-exist with theatres,” he asserts, adding that filmmakers need to cater to changing tastes and how content is consumed. In his over a decade long career, Mahi says he has evolved as a filmmaker but the skills set that he has learnt comes in useful even today.
