"I am not here to please others. I do what I like. At the same time, I will be accommodative and open-minded," says 'Gangs Of Godavari' director Krishna Chaitanya, who awaits the release of his third directorial on May 31. In this interview, he says that he is adamant about retaining his cinematic voice.
In this interview, he discusses the strengths of the film, including Vishwak Sen's performance. The film, he adds, has a Mahabharatha link in the sense that the enemy is from within our circle. "Naa anna vaade mana modati shatruvu," he says.
I was supposed to do this film with Sharwanand and Raashi Khanna. The hero had a change of mind and decided to suspend the project (because he was doing another intense subject). I had eight months of time. It's during that phase that I mooted the idea of pitching it to Vishwak Sen. Trivikram garu, too, liked the story. He is yet to watch the movie.
Since Vishwak hails from Telangana, I had my doubts whether he would be able to pull off the Godavari dialect. He learned the dialect in no time and also stayed the course. We were honest to the dialect and I made sure that I made corrections when he went wrong. Our DTS engineer gave me negative feedback through his silence after 'Chal Mohan Ranga' was completed. This time, he told me that Vishwak is extraordinary in the movie. He said that he didn't expect, as a Tamilian, such an intense performance from a Telugu actor.
Registration of crimes in the Godavari region is less. The region is prone to violence, including heinous crimes like murders. The Godavari culture and place have been romanticized in Telugu cinema. What cinema depicts is a stereotype. We are one thing in front of others and a wholly different thing otherwise.
Our film has been given U/A. Only two cuss words were paused. We used those words in the Trailer because censor rules don't apply to pre-release material. There is an item song. Thanks to Ayesha Khan doing it, it has become spicier. Nobody is going to watch Vishwak in the song. An item song is a failure if the audience train their eyes on the hero. The focus has to be on the female actor of the song!
'Rowdy Fellow' was my first film. It was a small-scale project. I worked on a limited budget. 'Chal Mohan Ranga', my second project, was a love story. Some things went wrong with that story. 'GoG' is a completely fictional story. The film will have a sequel for sure if 'GoG' becomes a hit. I will complete writing the story within a month.
Sithara Entertainments is an awesome banner. The background music was taking time. Producer S Naga Vamsi garu called me and told me he will not mind postponing the film if the final output gets delayed. Usually, producers force technicians/director to complete things ASAP.
Yuvan Shankar Raja is a great composer. When you are working with a big name, you can't afford to reject tunes on the face. You have to show the knack. You might have to beg. A director needs to know the basics of re-recording to have a sense of what will work and what won't work.
Every director has a forte. Emotion is my forte. If I were to review 'GoG', I would call it an emotional rollercoaster ride. Neha Shetty, Anjali, Hyper Aadi, Pammi Sai, Nassar, Goparaju Ramana, Sai Kumar, Obu Anand Ramaraju and others have done superb performances.
This is not a 'Gangs Of Wasseypur'-type movie by any chance. This is a completely different film. 'Gangs' is not the same as 'Gangsters'.
Trivikram garu is my guru. We all need a guru who guides us and puts us on the right track when we are going wrong. Through him, I found such a valuable guide. But for him, 'GoG' wouldn't have materialized. The film was started on March 8, 2023. The post-production works were completed on March 8 this year.
I have been a lyricist. Even when my songs are bad, I do it fast. My speed has always been an advantage. I have never delayed my work.
VV Vinayak garu once told me that a director can't afford to be egoistic. If others throw tantrums, the director must become the troubleshooter on set. Directors might look aggressive to others, but the reality is that they are soft in their behaviour. Also, directors rarely manage to execute what was in their mind. There are budget constraints, differences of opinion, a hundred suggestions to do things differently, etc. Amidst all this, the output becomes something else. And it could be loved or hated by others.
I have always been crazy about Pawan Kalyan garu. It's my dream to direct him although I don't have a story for him as of now. Just as poetry is felt before it is understood, he is felt before he is understood. I will be indebted that he gave me the opportunity to direct 'Chal Mohan Ranga', of which he was one of the producers.
