Did you know? VV Vinayak refused this Chiranjeevi film to make Chatrapathi

The filmmaker said no to a plum offer to direct the remake of a prestigious film for the star

Chiranjeevi and VV Vinayak

Now that the Hindi remake of SS Rajamouli’s Chatrapathi is declared as a washout at the box office, it’s convenient to shift the blame onto the director and discuss the necessity behind the remake of a widely watched film many years ago. However, the offer to direct the project came to VV Vinayak in the middle of a lull phase in his career.

Did you know the director had said no to a plum offer from a leading star to take up the remake of Chatrapathi? We’re indeed discussing about Chiranjeevi. VV Vinayak had given two of the biggest hits in his career with the ‘mega’ star - Tagore and Khaidi No. 150. Interestingly, both projects are remakes of popular Tamil films - Ramana and Katthhi - and were adapted to suit the tastes of Telugu audiences.

With the same trust he’s had on VV Vinayak, Chiranjeevi approached him to direct the Telugu remake of the Malayalam hit Lucifer (that was eventually made as Godfather in Telugu). The script, with the right mix of drama, action and emotion, is tailormade for someone of Vinayak’s capabilities and he did seem a right choice on paper.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Vinayak politely declined the star’s offer. The reason was simple - Bellamkonda Suresh (producer and father of Sreenivas) introduced Vinayak as a director with Aadi. Vinayak returned the favour by introducing the producer’s son in Telugu with Alludu Seenu. With the same sentiment, Suresh approached him to direct Sreenivas’ Hindi debut too and the filmmaker was on board for the Chatrapathi remake.

When Vinayak told no to the remake offer of Lucifer, Chiranjeevi faced several delays with the project. Sujeeth backed out of the film later and a surprise name - Mohan Raja - bagged it. At one point, Chiranjeevi was even thinking of shelving the project if they weren’t able to find the right director. Godfather, which also starred Nayanthara, Satyadev, is streaming in Hindi, Telugu on Netflix.

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