Producer Bekkem Venugopal: Sree Vishnu's Alluri will be a major milestone in my career

Popular producer Bekkem Venugopal, the brain behind the production house Lucky Media, is continuing his tryst with cinema with the same zest as he entered the industry with the Sivaji, Krishna Bhagavan starrer Tata Birla Madhyalo Laila 16 years ago. As he turns a year older, the producer, in an interaction with the media, looked back at his journey in the industry, his highs and lows and what could audiences expect from him in the years to come.

"It has been 16 years since I've entered the industry as a producer and through the course of this journey, I've associated with many creative people - artists and technicians. I'm thankful to all of them who've been a part of my stint in the industry in some form," he said. Bekkem Venugopal added that he hasn't faced any bitter experiences in showbiz so far and maintained he has never taken the failure of his films to heart. One of his major successes recently was his association with producer Dil Raju for Nani's Nenu Local, which turned out to be a big hit.

A true producer needs to have a command over every craft in filmmaking and sufficient knowledge about taking the product to audiences, he mentioned. "It's important to treat every film like a 'make-or-break' project. That's the only way to score a hit here. One must be passionate to survive and tolerate the extremities of the profession," Venugopal, who began his career in Gemini TV, added. He however confirmed that his only interest is to produce films and is in no mood to wield the megaphone. 

Talking of his upcoming project, Alluri, with Sree Vishnu in lead, he stated, "We're planning to release the film in July. It's a serious emotional action-drama and has elements to impress family audiences too. I'm sure the film will be a turning point in my career. Alluri will be a visual feast and is an out-and-out entertainer. I'm happy to associate with Sree Vishnu yet again after Prema Ishq Kaadhal." His other project, Bootcut Balaraju, starring Sohel, has also commenced shoot.

Meanwhile, Venugopal will produce an edge-of-the-seat thriller with Aadi Saikumar soon. "The film won't even have an interval. I'm truly enjoying the scripting process for this project. The film will go on floors this June. A new director, who has experience in the VFX space, will be making his debut with the same," he confirmed. The Hushaaru producer also plans to make a film stating the significance of media in society. On the whole, he hopes to release at least three films in theatres in 2022 and is keen to enter the OTT space as well.

The filmmaker was in the news last year for Paagal, the Vishwak Sen, Nivetha Pethuraj starrer. "The collections for Paagal may not have met our expectations owing to COVID-19, but the film did perform well. Noticing how a few films performed well in the same month, we took a last-minute decision to release it in theatres."