Waiting for Chiru’s nod: Vinayak

VV Vinayak who is one of the contenders to direct Megastar Chiranjeevi in his 150th film dismisses that the film will be based on the life of freedom fighter Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy and says, “The ball is in Chiranjeevi garu’s court. I’ve been working on some stories but nothing is final yet. He is keen on playing the waiting game.” When asked what kind of role he would like to see Chiru don, he responds, “I want it to be a happy film interspersed with an interesting flashback episode.”

The director is now in the news for his upcoming film, ‘Alludu Seenu’. While naysayers might have questioned his choice of launching Sai Srinivas, son of Bellamkonda Suresh, through the film, scheduled to open in cinema halls on July 25, director VV Vinayak says he took it as a responsibility. After all, the producer was the one who gave him his first break, ‘Aadi’, early last decade. “It’s my dharma to launch him. When Suresh asked me to introduce his son many years ago, I said yes straight-away. I wasn’t even aware how Sai looks as I had barely seen him. When I finally saw him, I felt he had it in him to be a hero,” recalls the director.

The new kid on the block was up to the task, he says. “Though it’s his first film, neither did he approach it like that nor did he make me feel that I was helming a newcomer. Be it dance, action or drama, he was comfortable in every department. In fact, he was also at ease rubbing shoulders with the likes of Brahmanandam, Prakash Raj and Samantha,” he states, while adding, “Especially with Samantha, I felt he would be fidgety, hence I started the shoot with a song. However, he came, danced with confidence and left the venue without exhibiting any nerves.”

As a matter of fact, the director was tensed when he couldn’t get a script of his choice to begin with. “We discussed many ideas, but nothing materialised. Finally Bobby (‘Balupu’ co-writer) came to us with this script and I thought, ‘We got it at last.’ I hired Kona Venkat and Gopi Mohan to work on it and when it finally landed in my hands, I felt I had a winner.” About the film, he says, “Sai plays an orphan who eventually develops a bond with Prakash Raj who he addresses as mavayya. In one of the sequence he introduces himself as Alludu Seenu to Brahmanandam. When he discovers that unfair treatment has been meted out to Prakash Raj, he plans to avenge it. Parallel to this plot is his love track with Samantha.”

Vinayak remembers everything falling in place for the film, from the casting to Tamannaah’s special number to shooting at desired exotic locations. “I loved a place in Japan and we landed there to shoot a few sequences. It was freezing and Samantha had to be covered with four bedsheets. I had apprehensions whether she will be able to shoot or not but cameraman Chota K Naidu ensured that I got my shots. We even shot at an expensive resort in UAE. The film will be a visual spectacle.”

His signature action sequences – four wheelers flying in air – will also be in abundance, he adds. “I never wanted such action scenes for the film initially. But while heading abroad for the shoot, a senior immigration officer at the Hyderabad airport asked me, ‘Pelusthunnara bandlu? baga pelchandoy… lekapothe upset avtha’! (Are you blowing off the cars? Blow them off or else I’ll be upset) I couldn’t control my laughter and thought, ‘Pelchakapothe veelu disappoint avutharemo’? So, I had to fit in a chase sequence,” he smiles.