Venky made me lazy, says Suresh Babu

HYDERABAD: Having been a part of the Telugu film industry for over three decades, Daggubati Suresh Babu is hungry for fresh scripts and his eyes light up when something different comes along the way ' like his upcoming film Drushyam. In an interview, the producer gives us an insight into the film, his approach towards cinema and more.

On Drushyam

Suresh Babu feels the film, which features Venkatesh, Meena and Nadiya, is a refreshing change from the usual commercial Telugu films. Drushyam, which releases on Friday, will mark 50 years for his production house.

'To continue making films in this industry for 50 years, you get bored of making movies with the same formula. At times we still have to make such movies for survival but as filmmakers, we are always on the lookout for a fresh script, something that is different, and they don't come by very often,' shares the producer.

So when he did come across Drushyam, (remake of popular Malayalam film Drishyam), he lapped it up with glee and is extremely satisfied with the project. 'Drushyam is a very simple story which could happen to any of us. The film showcases how extraordinary incidents take place in the simple lives of the protagonists. It's an intense story and is extremely satisfying for me to produce this film,' he says with pride.

Approach towards cinema

Having produced numerous films in the industry like Coolie No.1, Kalisundam Raa and Malliswari, Suresh Babu says it's important for him to connect with a film before he decides to produce it.

'The audience is impatient and they don't want to see lengthy movies unless it interests them. When a script comes to me, after 15-20 minutes if I lose interest, then I may not take it up,' he explains.

With the Telugu film industry predominantly churning out movies using the same formula of fight sequences, five songs, a bit of comedy and an item number, Suresh Babu feels that the time is right for a change.

'I think a change will happen soon. It has already taken place in the Hindi film industry with films like 3 Idiots, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Kahaani doing really well. At the end of the day it's a give and take relationship between the filmmakers and the audience,' he points out, before adding, 'Even in Telugu, there are films like Pratighatana, Arundhati and Eega, which are really different but turned out to be successful.

So the audience is definitely there. Because we are unable to come up with something smart, we continue to make films with the same formula. But at the end of the day, stories make films and the audience will always appreciate a good story.'

Relationship with Venkatesh

A lion's share of his movies feature his brother Venkatesh in the lead. Quizzed on whether professional life has affected their personal relationship, he says, 'For us it has been a really compelling journey. Fortunately, we have no differences with each other. Even if there are minor differences, we share a level of understanding where he knows if there is something that makes me feel really uncomfortable. But we have been fortunate to have shared this journey together and if anything, I think Venky has made me lazy, as I never needed any other hero,' he says with a smile.

Drawbacks and regrets

Though the producer has a major say in how a film shapes up, Suresh admits that things don't always go their way.

'There are times when you are forced to do films that you are not happy with, due to difference of opinions with partners or other technicians. Sometimes when things are not going to plan, you can put a halt on it and sometimes you cannot,' he informs.

When asked if he had any regrets, he said, 'There were three films which I was not happy with ' Super Police, which I had to make due to various reasons and I wasn't happy with the way it turned out; Gemini, which was a remake of a Tamil film and Masala, which was a decent film but we could've made it much better,' he shares.

Meanwhile, Suresh Babu is now busy with his next project Gopala Gopala with Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan.