Producer Ashwini Dutt: Sita Ramam is a visual wonder, Dulquer Salmaan was my first choice after listening to Hanu Raghavapudi's story

The veteran speaks of his next release Sita Ramam, the reason behind casting Dulquer in the film and about handing over production responsibilities to his daughters

Ashwini Dutt

With Sita Ramam, veteran producer Ashwini Dutt has fulfilled his long-time desire of backing a full-on love story under his banner Vyjayanthi Movies, on the lines of Maro Charitra, Geethanjali. In a media interaction today, he expressed his confidence about Sita Ramam being a landmark film. The Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur starrer, directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, hits theatres on August 5 in three languages - Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

He feels he has more or less handed over the reins of the banner to his daughters Priyanka and Swapna now. "Swapna has taken up the entire responsibility of Sita Ramam under her shoulders. She deserves the entire credit for it. I never went to sets and Hanu shot the film largely in exterior locations. Both my daughters are very talented and innovative. I've nearly given them the entire responsibility of the banner now. I take care of the script and music in a film," the producer added.

So, does he deserve the credit for the superb album of Sita Ramam then? "I honestly don't know music much but I'm blessed with good taste. KV Mahadevan and Ilaiyaraaja had once told me that music flows beautifully in my presence. I share a good rapport with the likes of Mani Sharma and Keeravaani too. Vishal Chandrasekhar, who was picked by Hanu, has done a phenomenal job for Sita Ramam. Even his wife Sinduri is a classical singer, her presence may have helped. The background score is equally good."

Ashwini Dutt opined that Hanu Raghavapudi has the knack to tell stories well. "He has good command over the technical aspects of filmmaking and created nothing short of a visual wonder for Sita Ramam. The film, shot in Kashmir and other scenic locales, is going to be a visual feast. Dulquer was my first choice for the film after listening to the script. For a film being released across the country, I felt he was a perfect fit."

Elaborating on Dulquer, the actor, the veteran shared, "My respect for Dulquer as an actor grew after he played Gemini Ganesan in Mahanati. I'm a big fan of Mammotty too. Even I was surprised when Dulquer said yes to the Gemini Ganesan role. He was extremely convincing in it. After watching Mahanati, I wanted to make one film every year with Dulquer."

Sita Ramam may be 157-minutes long, but the film's screenplay will be gripping, he assured. "We received terrific reports from the censor board. The film will release in all three languages on the same day." Ashwini Dutt is quite confident that the film will be a shot in the arm for Sumanth and introduce him to audiences across other languages too. "I'm sure it'll bring him a lot of name."

What's keeping audiences away from theatres? "COVID-19 has got to be one of the major factors. Irresponsible hiking of ticket prices, unethical pricing of the snacks and food-items at theatres, the advent of the digital medium have all played a part." Project K, another prestigious film produced under his banner, will wrap its shoot by January 2023 and have a lot of CGI work to be done later. Anni Manchi Sakunamule, Nandini Reddy's family entertainer, will release on October 5. They are also bankrolling Roshann's next film with director Pradeep Advaitham.

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