In this exclusive interview with IndiaGlitz, director Surender Reddy says that 'Dhruva' was a tough remake, so much so he doesn't want to do another remake in his life. Justifying the run-time of 160 minutes, he talks about working within the limits imposed by the original, why remakes are preferred, directing the young Akkinenis and Chiranjeevi, so on and so forth.

'Dhruva' is a big-ticket film releasing amid huge expectations. Are you feeling the pressure?

I was under pressure while doing the movie, but not now. This is the first time that I am so relaxed before my movie's release. I am very happy. I can already see how the result is going to be, going by Charan's look, performance and makeover. All this gives me so much confidence.

You had plans to do a straight one with Charan before 'Thani Oruvan' came along. Take us through what transpired between Charan and you.

I didn't expect that I would be doing this remake. When Charan liked 'Thani Oruvan', he asked me to watch it. After I watched it, he asked me whether it would work if it were to be remade into Telugu. I said yes, it being a very good script. He asked me how it could be made better and I suggested that the hero's characterization could be tweaked. He said, "If we can do the remake, it will be great." I thought about it for a couple of days during which I re-visited 'Thani Oruvan' from the perspective of a director.

What if someone approaches you with another remake offer after 'Dhruva'?

I don't feel like doing another remake in my life. It's a very tough job and is never easy at all for a creator. His imagination is confined within the four walls. One would be tensed about things like ending up killing the originality or spoiling it. Sometimes, there is a need to better.

This takes us to the next question. Have you infused punch lines of the kind we see in Telugu movies? Is there a comedy track in the movie?

There are no punch lines for the sake of it. Everything is according to the script. The look, the characterization, everything is script-based. When the script is inherently entertaining, when the very hero vs evil fight is entertaining, where is the need for elements like comedy?

But then, why was there a need for a glamorous six-packs?

This is a realistic cop flick. A cop has to look fit. He has to look like a real cop. That's why we went for the macho look.

What about Arvind Swamy's character? Is it true that Nagarjuna was to be roped in for the role?

We have not tinkered with Arvind Swamy's character. We actually enhanced its impact a bit. As for considering Nagarjuna garu for the role, it was never on our mind. Charan, the producer and me, everyone wanted to cast Arvind Swamy as he is the perfect one for this. Any other mightn't have worked.

Why did you go for Hiphop Tamizha duo?

They are multi-talented fellows. They will surely go places. One has to appreciate Charan for choosing newcomers being a star hero. Even before I met them, they had watched all the songs of his previous movies.

You have said that Charan turned out to be an entirely different person from what you had been hearing about it. What negative things did you hear about him?

Not that I heard negatively about him. Having read different versions about him in the media, I had some of them in my mind, although I never believed such reports. Charan is the perfect gentleman. I haven't seen a person like him in the industry.

Coming to the run-time of 160 minutes, isn't it too long?

I don't think it's too long. All blockbusters are more or less of that sort. Even in recent times, 'Srimanthudu' and 'Janatha Garage' were that long. My movies 'Kick' and 'Race Gurram' were of 2:45 mins. Barring a few exceptions, all content-based films have such a run-time.

To what extent do you think will Demonetization affect your film? Since the team will watch the premieres with audiences in US, are you eyeing at a USD 1M movie?

The mood around the movie is very positive. I don't think Demonetization will have any impact. As for the performance in US, I am confident that 'Dhruva' will be a 2 million USD movie there.

Chiranjeevi is doing a remake. Charan is doing one. A couple of other superstars are also doing remakes. Doesn't all this betray a lack of confidence in local writing talent?

It's not because of lack of confidence in native scripts. If someone has made a very good film in some language, why shouldn't we remake it? I can understand the criticism if it's an an ordinary film that is being remade. But very good scripts like 'Thani Oruvan' are not easily found here.

You have said that 'Dhruva' is a script-based movie. Why are such movies not being made in Telugu?

Script-based movies are being made more and more now. If the audience are encouraging towards such movies, more and more such movies will be made.

Alternately, your films come a cropper. What is the reason? Is it pressure?

It's not because of pressure or something. I have always tried different genres. 'Athanokkade', 'Kick', 'Race Gurram' - they were all different. 'Dhruva', again, is distinct from all of these. In making different attempts, I may fail at times.

We heard that you may make a movie with Naga Chaitanya. How far is this true?

I have for long wanted to work with Naga Chaitanya. We often text each other. I would also like to work with Akhil.

When are you going to direct Megastar?

It will be very fortunate to work with Chiranjeevi garu once a good script has been found. If he says OK, there