The Moscow International Film Week began on August 23. It opened with Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies. Two other Telugu films that went on to have pan-Indian releases – Nag Ashwin’s 2898 AD and SS Rajamouli’s RRR – were also screened at the film week. News18 Showsha exclusively caught up with Telugu producer and President of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, Dil Raju, in the Russian capital, who addressed the trend of local stories and those rooted in Indian culture and mythology going global.
Talking about how he too is working on one such script, he told us, “Audiences like films that are a visual treat. We’ve a lot of history in India including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. We’ve a lot of content which gives many options to filmmakers. Small bits of the Ramayana are taken by them to create avatars (and versions). Writers and directors, today, are looking to work on such scripts. I’m also working on one and maybe by 2026-2027, I will start a VFX-heavy film.”
The screening of Kalki 2898 AD at the Moscow International Film Week received a good response from the audience and that coupled with RRR’s mega-success bears a testament to how local is the way to go global, believes Raju. “Thanks to SS Rajamouli (that we’re on the global map)! And it’s not just Telugu films that’s receiving a global exposure. There was Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva too. The point I want to make here is that we’re now the Indian film industry and not any particular regional industry,” he remarked.
The Jersey and The Family Star producer further continued, “After Covid, our films are being watched globally. When Kalki was screened at the film week, everyone liked it because it was a visual experience and the story was a part of our history. It’s taken from Mahabharata and RRR was based on the lives of freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Baahubali too was a visual treat. Everyone wants to watch such films for the experience. That’s why our Indian films are now going global.”
Recently, Nikkhil Advani stated that during a conversation with Allu Arjun, the latter said that Bollywood has forgotten how to present its heroes and that South films are packed with ‘incredible moments of heroism’. It sparked a debate on social media. But Raju disagreed and asserted that Hindi cinema has always portrayed its protagonists as unyielding heroes.
Reacting to it, the producer, who’s awaiting the release of Game Changer, said, “It isn’t the case with Telugu films alone. If you look at Bollywood films 30 years back, you’ll see so many multi-starrers. Tollywood directors are also looking for a heroic star, to give him a good build-up against a villain. That makes for a quintessential commercial film. To top that, makers are also focusing on their film’s music, which contributes to its success as well.”
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