From the days of 'Intlo Ramayya Veedilo Krishnayya' to today, Kodi Ramakrishna has grown in stature like very few have in the Indian filmdom. That doesn't make him show airs even a bit. Showing perfect humility, he lays the credit at the door steps of his producers. Days ahead of the release of 'Nagabharanam', the producer talks about the film, his association with late Vishnu Vardhan, the commitment of Megastar Chiranjeevi, the film with Balakrishna and more.

The film, the story, the actor:

There are high expectations from 'Nagabharanam'. We are releasing the movie in about 600 theatres, thanks to producer Malkapuram Sivakumar garu.

As for the story, it's about a snake which attains its objective through a woman (played by Ramya). The travails and tribulations in her journey form the film's crux. She worships Lord Shiva whose abode is a mountain peak. The Lord creates a 'shakti' to help her in victory.

Late Kannada actor Vishnu Vardhan was created graphically and visuals are so realistic that his wife went into a trance after watching it. She broke down into tears and said, 'Will my husband come back to life and live in our house?'

The ideal producer:

The idea to bring into existence Vishnu Vardhan was producer Sajid's. It was he who proposed that the Lord be played by Vishnu Vardhan. He had spoken to Makutha and got their assurance even before conveying to me the idea. This is the first time in the world that an actor has been recreated for 15 minutes on the screen. Sajid is a very passionate producer who gave me full freedom and asked me not to worry about the budget. At the end of a day's shoot, he would ask me about how the scenes came out, not how many were canned. That's how a producer has to be.

A Telugu actor, whom I can't name, became emotional on watching this. He is keen on seeing his late father on screen.

The relationship we shared:

Vishnu Vardhan used to always appreciate me. On watching 'Bharath Bandh', he told me, 'I didn't know it's possible to make such an intense movie. We should do a movie together'. I was excited to work with such a big actor and went to Bangkok to develop a nice script. By the time I was back after 2 months, he passed away. It was unfortunate. I am glad that I got to direct 'him' this way in 'Nagabharanam'. Mysteriously, Vishnu Vardhan had sung in his last film 'Aptha Mitra' that he will return to Sandalwood after death. I see my film as having fulfilled that word.

The support systems:

Not only does one need to have the support of the producer and the star cast, but also the distributors. In the case of 'Nagabharanam', some distributors came forward to say that the posters are good, but not like a Kodi Ramakrsihna's movie. We redesigned the posters all over again.

Updating knowledge:

I keep myself abreast with the latest technical developments. Whenever I watch a movie that has used a new technique, I make it a point to make a study of it, be it a camera or anything. My films don't have graphics for the sake of it. There is always a context and nativity. Be it 'Ammoru', 'Devi' and 'Arundhati', they all followed the trend of the day.

That 'Mega' experience:

When I narrated 'Anji' to Megastar Chiranjeevi, I told him at the outset that it will require him to spend time for hours together to make the graphics possible. He promised that he will act as if it were his first movie since he liked the story. As promised, he did that. Producer Shyam (Prasad Reddy) also took utmost care to make the product that great. When it is a Megastar, the graphics have to match up to him. It was very difficult, but we did it.

All thanks to producers:

If I have made more than a hundred movies with a success rate of 80 per cent, it's because of my producers first. I write stories keeping their interests in mind. About 15 of my movies had a run of 365 days. I prefer the producer to be on the sets. A film set without the producer's presence is like a temple without god.

When it comes to 'Baahubali', I will give the highest marks to the producer. Rajamouli's talent was on display with 'Eega' itself. It's no joke to make a film with a house fly as a central character. He should have got Padma Sri after that film itself.

Balayya's pending movie:

Everything was planned in a systematic way. Balakrishna involved himself thoroughly and even planned how much the budget should be, etc. Despite such sincere attempt by us, the film had to be shelved temporarily after Gopal Reddy (producer) fell sick. The project will surely be revived. About 40 per cent is left to be filmed.

The Sathya Sai biopic:

The biographical film on Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba is done by 40 per cent. The shoot will be resumed from December and wrapped up by February. Maestro Ilaiyaraja is the music director. There are 14 songs in total. Besides regional languages, it will be released in English.