Ahead of the release of 'Kirrak Party' on March 16, producer Anil Sunkara speaks about the film, why he is confident, what to expect from it, and more.

You are sounding very confident about the film. What makes you bet big on it?

It has come out really well. This is how we had expected it to turn out. We have made a very good film with the resources we had. And that's why I am so very confident.

It's suggested that 'KP' has traces of 'Shiva', RGV's cult classic. Is there any truth in this suggestion?

I always wanted to make a film like 'Shiva'. In fact, I decided to produce the remake of the Kannada film 'Kirrak Party' only because it has got shades of 'Shiva'. The content is so close.

Wasn't this movie supposed to be made by Raju Sundaram? Why did he walk out of the project?

It's true that we had approached Raju Sundaram. However, he insisted that the movie be made in both Telugu and Tamil. This didn't work for me as the focus would have been lost. This is when Sharan Koppisetty came on board.

Your hero recently said that the film is very close to his heart because of the college nostalgia. Will the film be special in that respect?

Engineering students evolve from being timid in the first year by the time they reach the fourth year. No film has fully explored this side to the students over a span of four years. In that respect, 'KP' is unique.

It's not often that two busy directors pen the dialogues and screenplay for someone else's movie. How did Chandoo Mondeti and Sudheer Varma come into the picture in the first place?

When I asked Nikhil Siddhartha to come and watch the Kannada original, he happened to bring Chandoo and Sudheer along with him. They liked the movie a lot and told their protege, Sharan, that they will readily offer any help. That's how they ended up writing the movie.

How has the film turned out in terms of crispness? In his recent interview, Nikhil said that quite a few extraneous elements in the original have been purged out.

The original has a run-time of 2:45 minutes. Ours has a run-time of 2:25 minutes. We have made adequate changes as per nativity. Even after editing out two songs, there are 8 in total.

We heard that it's mostly your own release. Is it true?

Yes, we are releasing 90 percent of the movie on our own. Rest of it has been sold to others.

Coming to your personal career, are you more comfortable in the role of a producer than a director? You are also seen encouraging newcomers. Is it for commercial or other reasons?

I entered the film industry with the aim of becoming a director. However, I failed as a technician. And I have been doing well as a producer. That's why I am more comfortable being a producer. I introduce new talent for the freshness they bring on board.

The buzz is that one of your next films is going to be with Sharwanand. Who will direct it?

Nothing has been finalized. Script works are going on. We wanted to work with Srinivasa Raju of 'Dandupalyam' fame. We will finalize the director's name once we are done with the story.