Puri gets emotional

The other day we watched the flick at Shanti theatre, Hyderabad and Nithiin was in tears after witnessing the public reception. Even I couldn’t control my emotions seeing him- Puri Jagannadh

With his last few releases – ‘Devudu Chesina Manushulu’, ‘Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu’ and ‘Iddarammayilatho’ – failing to meet the expectations, filmmaker Puri Jagannadh is finally a relieved man as his new release, ‘Heart Attack’, starring Nithiin in the lead role, has opened to packed houses. “Buyers and distributors are jubilant with day one collections. Usually the producers call them to know about the response but instead they rang me up and spoke about the opening,” he smiles.

Admitting that the film has received mixed reviews, a feature that one generally associate with his films, he opines, “Even some felt that ‘Attarintiki Daaredhi’ had no substance but the film ended up as the biggest blockbuster of the industry.”

He says he was inspired by Aur Ho number from Ranbir Kapoor-starrer ‘Rockstar’ to pen ‘Heart Attack’. “I wrote the film in an hour. It was supposed to star Varun Teja, son of Naga Babu, in the lead but somehow things failed to materialize. Later, Nithiin came on board.”

‘I need a one hour kiss to burn 3000 calories’, read the first look poster of the film but the director had to compromise on the lip lock in the film. “If it wasn’t for regional censor board chief (Dhanalaxmi), I wouldn’t’ have wrapped Nithiin and Adah under a cloth as the kiss happens. Had I removed 15 minutes of footage, I would have got ‘U/A’ instead of ‘A’,” he relates.

Speaking at disc function of the film, Puri asked the audience to trust him and catch the flick. It is for the first time that Puri has used such a sentence and put that to him, he replies, “It is a film that is very close to the whole unit. We enjoyed the whole process of shooting. The other day we watched the flick at Shanti theatre, Hyderabad and Nithiin was in tears after witnessing the public reception. Even I couldn’t control my emotions seeing him,” he confides.

The director who has started a new banner, Touring Talkies, has other plans too on it. “If direct at least two films per year, I’m keen on producing two films on the banner. I want to associate with production and writing fulltime after five years. I know the chances of direction would be slim after sometime, hence its better that I focus on other options too,” he smiles.

The director insists that he wants to pen a family film, akin to that of his ‘Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi’, up next. When asked whether his next film with Mahesh Babu will be on the similar lines, he says, “I don’t have any idea right now. I would be flying off to Bangkok in ten days for the script work.”

He is also committed to Bollywood producer NR Pachisia. “I’ve signed two films with him. He is in the process of roping a star. I’m waiting for his call,” he concludes.