Gopichand recalls his friendship with Ravi Teja

Having earned the tag of a minimum guarantee director, Gopi speaks about the title, 'Balupu' (Arrogance). 'I felt 'Balupu' fitted the bill but when I expressed it to Ravi Teja garu and Prasad garu, they were little apprehensive.

After I went to them with the title design and caption, Action Entertainer, they said I was spot on. It's a common term that we use every day and that worked, 'he shares.

Along with his writers, he is aware of day-to-day happenings in the society. 'We don't lose out an opportunity to entertain and we discuss scenes every night before we go to sets.

We remain updated and the result was the Dil Jamping jepang'.sequence incorporated into the film in the last minute. When I first proposed the idea to my team, they said, 'Ah will it work considering that the film has already took a serious turn till then?' But I went with a gut feeling and the scene elevated the climax,' Gopi recalls.

Speaking about his association with Ravi Teja, he says he goes back a long way with him. 'I was the associate director for 'Venky'. I made it a point to give my feedback whenever I liked his film after 'Venky'.

During 'Stalin's shooting, he dropped by the sets and that is when cameraman Chota K Naidu said that 'I was his next film's director'. He was surprised to know that I was narrating stories to other actors but not him,' he says and continues, 'During 'Billa' 100 days he asked me to narrate a script. I spoke to him about 'Don Seenu' and within no time he said he's doing it.

While he is keen to play to the gallery for some more time before exploring new genres, he says he was offered few Bollywood projects. 'TIPS asked me to helm the Hindi version of 'Don Sreenu' after it released in Telugu with Abhishek Bachchan or Saif Ali Khan. But I said I wanted to prove a point here.

Even 'Tanu Weds Manu' producers wanted me to a direct a film for them but I couldn't oblige their request. However, I'm ready to remake 'Don Seenu' in B-town right now,' says the director who is a self-confessed fan of Jandhyala and EVV Satyanarayana. He assisted EVV for films 'Chala Bagundi', 'Ammo Okato Thareeku' and 'Thankyou Subbarao'.

When quizzed about his wife Sri Satya's response towards 'Balupu', he reveals, 'While she liked my earlier two films, she liked 'Balupu' more. She said Chala bavundi (Very good).'

The director also shares a brotherly equation with filmmaker AR Murugadoss with whom he worked for 'Stalin' and 'Ghajini'. 'He keeps in touch with me regularly. Whenever he visits Hyderabad, I get his first call. He has been a guiding force and always gives suggestions and is open to taking them too.

After watching Telugu 'Bodyguard' he said that I've handled the emotional portions very well. He narrates his scripts to me. He narrated 'Thuppakki' during 'Stalin' time.

He is interested to speak to Akshay Kumar if I have a plan of remaking 'Balupu' in Hindi,' he says and adds, 'I've been a spectator to his working habits and I've developed the art of 'giving everything to a film' from him.

During 'Stalin' shoot, he wept in front of me when a scene was not up to his vision. Even I shed tears during 'Balupu' shooting,' he smiles.

While he is committed to producers Dil Raju and Paruchuri Prasad up next, he remembers his association with the former. 'I never assisted any of his productions.

During the progress of 'Kantri', he came up to me and offered me a film under his banner. I said to him that I will come up with a pure love story but to my disbelief the point that I wanted to lay emphasis on was dealt by Gautham Menon in 'Ye Maya Chesave'.

The train episodes and the struggle of an assistant filmmaker in 'Ye Maya Chesave' had similarities to what I wrote for Sri Venkateshwara Creations,' concludes the maker who will direct Allu Arjun for Dil Raju.