Producer Srinivasaa Chitturi says that 'Custody' is a proper bilingual that was shot in both Telugu and Tamil, scene for scene. He is confident that Naga Chaitanya will be accepted by the Tamil audience as much as the Telugu audience upon its release this Friday (May 12).
"It is not true that Telugu actors/films don't sell in Tamil. 'U-Turn' did better in Tamil compared to Telugu," the producer says, adding that he had been planning to team up with the 'Bangarraju' and 'Thank You' actor ever since he did 'U-Turn' in 2018. The producer suggests that he fell back on a Kollywood director (read Venkat Prabhu) because Tollywood directors are fully occupied these days. Incidentally, his previous film ('The Warriorr') was also directed by a Kollywoodian.
It is the story and screenplay that made me want to produce 'Custody'. Venkat Prabhu is a talented director; he can narrate even serious stories with a touch of wit. His film 'Mankatha' was a big hit in Tamil and in Telugu, it was a hit as well. It was released in Telugu as 'Gambler'.
'Custody' has got no specific nativity. Some emotions and stories are universal. 'Custody' is one such story. The project was materialized going by the story, not because I got Naga Chaitanya's dates.
I have got 20 years of experience in the film industry. Experience is what gives me the confidence to spend a bomb on projects. Both 'Seetimaarr' and 'U-Turn' were the costliest films in the careers of Gopichand and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. BoyapatiRAPO, to be released for Dasara, is also being made into the most expensive film. 'Custody' is going to be released in the highest number of theatres in Chay's career. I am confident that, in terms of collections, 'Custody' will be the highest grosser in his career.
'Custody' has got a number of memorable, unique characters played by Arvind Swami, Priyamani, Krithi Shetty and Sarathkumar (who stands between two titans, played by Chay and Arvind Swami). No character is incidental. Every character has a purpose.
Doing a bi-lingual is like producing two films at a time. It involves double the effort for the team. Business wise, 'Custody' is amassing a very good response. We are satisfied with both content and commerce!
The underwater fight sequence in 'Custody' (that arrives in the pre-interval stretch) will remind you of Hollywood movies. It is extraordinary. It was a 20-day schedule.
I am producing a film with Ram Pothineni and its teaser will be released on his birthday (May 15). Boyapati Srinu is making sure the content is awesome. It will be a Dasara release. We are planning to release it in theatres on October 20.
