Producers Madhura Sreedhar and Yash Rangineni of 'Dorasaani' are upbeat, saying that 'Dorasaani' is a slow hit. In this interview, catch them defend the film's pace, why it can't be compared to 'Sairat' (Marathi) and more.

Poetic narration

The musical love story set in the 1980s backdrop has struck a chord with the audience. The response has been amazing. The audience are loving the poetic narration. The authenticity of the setting has come in for praise. The detailing was extraordinary. We hunted for the 'Gadi' after a two-month search. When it comes to poetic narration, you have to have the right kind of music. And this one has got terrific songs. Prashanth R Vihari has done a great job.

Many introductions

We have introduced almost 60 newcomers, be it artists or technicians. Except for Vinay Varma and a couple of others, everyone is new.

Slowly picking up

Since the lead pair are new, the opening collections were not big. But as Friday progressed, the collections picked up and they were highly encouraging for the night show. Even in several Andhra markets like Vijayawada and Vizag, the collections are no less.

First of its kind director

KVR Mahendra must be the first Telugu filmmaker to have made a poetic musical love story. Great films like 'Githanjali', 'Prema', 'Maro Charitra', etc were all by Tamil directors.

A dedicated, honest actor

Anand Deverakonda didn't shy away from going nude on the screen. Such honest work is always appreciated. In one of the scenes, the male lead's parents tell the village lord that they would be ready to consume the latter's urine. Notice Anand's expressions in that scene. He has done a very good job. Shivathmika has lived her role. She has made the audience have tears in eyes.

No forced elements

No film is loved by 100 percent of the audience. Thirty percent of the audience can never be satisfied. The rest of them are loving 'Dorasaani'. We didn't force-fit commercial elements in the movie for the sake of it.

Can't be compared to 'Sairat'

'Dorasaani' has been compared to 'Sairat' (Marathi) but the latter itself was not a new story. There have always been stories of rich girl-meets-poor guy tropes. In 'Sairat', they get physical, they marry, they fight with each other. But in our film, it takes long for the lead pair just to meet and talk. How can the two films be compared?

The search for 'Gadi'

The 'gadi' where the film was shot had been lying desolate for 20 years. We had to clean up the mess by spending Rs 14,00,000. And to secure the permission for the shoot, we contributed Rs 5,00,000 towards village development.

Positive talk

The 'word of mouth' is great for our movie. It started slowly for 'Pelli Choopulu' as well. Same is the case with 'Dorasaani'. Leaving aside the reviews, which have said that the pace is slow, the audience are very happy.

The film is inspired by true lives. Every filmmaker writes stories on the basis of the individuals he has seen, situations he has experienced, etc. 'Dorasaani' is a combination of true events and fiction.

Upcoming movies

We have three scripts in the pipeline. We are evaluating only genuine scripts and they will be directed by newcomers.

I (Yash Rangineni) invested some money in 'Pelli Choopulu' because my nephew (Vijay Deverakonda) was the hero. The film became a big hit, which was unexpected. Coming to 'Dorasaani', it's totally my calling to do invest in the film.

We are interested only in small films. Films with big heroes will take Rs 50-100 Cr of investment. We can invest only Rs 5 Cr (max).

Need more small films

As many as 300 films should be released every year for the entire ecosystem to survive. Many films which are not worthy to be released in the theatres are being made. Exhibitors want content-driven movies, which is why distributors are after small good films.