Sampoo will beat the ridicule quotient with his debut

Raj Kandukuri comes with years of experience as a producer in Tollywood and has a soft corner for struggling technicians. He recently bought the distribution rights for the film ‘Hrudaya Kaleyam - A kidney with a heart’ across Andhra for a whopping amount. The movie has created ripples in social media as Sampoornesh Babu, the uncanny actor referred to as ‘The Burning Star’, is marking his debut. The audience too are excited about the project due to its interesting title. Excerpts from the interview:

What made you buy the distribution rights of ‘Hrudaya Kaleyam’

I always wanted to be a distributor. I empathise with small producers and filmmakers who struggle to find distributors. I went through the same phase as a producer with my last five movies. Now that I have the leverage to help budding filmmakers, I want to give them an opportunity to be judged by the audience first. I want to take up distribution of films that are unique. When Steven Shankar, director of ‘Hrudaya Kaleyam’ approached me, I watched the film before taking a call. The film looks promising. It can definitely entertain the audience for three hours. The anti-climax is the highlight of the movie.

You are the co-producer of the movie ‘Ladies & Gentlemen’. Tell us about the movie.

‘Ladies & Gentlemen’ is an urban movie. It is about social networking and how it impacts lives – five stories to be precise within the movie. Manjunath, the director, is very good with his first film. My confidence levels are high about both the films. Madhura Sreedhar has done an incredible job on this project - be it the casting, the skill set mapping with actors or the entire show.

What is your take on small to mid-budget films making an impact among the audience?

Audience welcome any movie as long as there is entertainment in it. Even big films fail when there is no refreshing content. Everybody, in rural and urban areas, now look for better content and not the tags attached to the product. These films run in all centres when made well.

Sampoornesh is making waves across the social media. Why this special mania?

Sampoornesh is a hard working actor. Even he knows that the attention he is getting is purely out of curiosity, not hype. He knows what he is and the ridicule quotient prevailing about his entry to movies. However, the movie will back him with the goods. He has done a commendable job with ‘Hrudaya Kaleyam’.

What about your plans to direct your own film? Is it happening anytime soon?

I will start directing as soon as I feel that the time is right.

There are a lot of films shelved or not bought by distributors. Is this industry still controlled by the powerful forces?

There will always be big and small players in any industry. For small films that do not see the light of the day, mere passion is not enough. Close to 700 films are now shelved. But a film with great script always wins against the odds. The hero of any movie is the script.