Naga Chaitanya is currently preparing for the release of his film “Thandel.” It sees him on the other side of Sai Pallavi. The film is based on a true story, but the story of a fisherman in Srikakulam is captured by Pakistani forces in international waters. But at its depth, it’s a love story. While talking about how rooted the film is in a recent interview with Etimes, Chay was also open to the entire South vs Bollywood debate.
When asked if South films work more because they are rooted in culture, in contrast to Hindi films that have become western, he said. “I don’t think Hindi films have become Western. In fact, there are a lot of Hindi films that have influenced us.”
He added: “However, in the South, looking at trends, there are movies that are closer to the story of the land, movies that are rich in culture, with characters having specific slang, dialects, and working around certain regions. The audience is I’m more interested in such stories now, and that’s the trend now, so yes, these stories are getting much better.”
Chay says that as far as numbers go, only films that pay strong attention to the story and remain faithful to it work. “What the numbers today have turned out is that if you need to give people theatrical or realised experiences, then you’re not investing in actors or directors. Of course, that’s important, but scripts. You need to invest in something. That’s what business is like. Even “Thandel”, a producer (Allu Aravind), puts aside what my market gets and what my director’s market gets. I did it. He put it all aside and focused on what the story demanded. It’s a very production-heavy movie. “
He concluded, “If you watch every film that did well, the producers have invested in the story rather than working on the trade numbers in reverse.”