Bobby has struck gold after the failure of 'Sardaar Gabbar Sing'. In this interview, the 'Jai Lava Kusa' director talks about how the film happened, why he didn't think NTR playing a negative character would be risky, and more.

Putting behind your previous failure, you went on to bag this big-ticket project with a superstar. What exactly transpired?

I had conceived this idea at least 5-6 years before. When I first met NTR garu, it was a 30-minute narration that I gave. He said nothing as to what he felt. He only told me to wait for a week. But just by looking at his eyes, I knew that he liked the story. As it turned out, I got a call after a week and was told to start the works right away.

I should thank Hari Krishna garu (Kalyan Ram's bava), who was the first one to believe in the script. It was he who told Kalyan Ram garu about the same. More than me, they believed in the script. When the producer and Tarak garu watched the movie without RR, the former was pretty confident that the film will do well. He asked me to relax.

Is it true that, before JLK, NTR had heard a script whose protagonist is also a stammerer? The news came after your film went on the floors.

I really don't know anything of that sort. If it was true, NTR garu would have told me about that.

In Telugu cinema, it's not easy to have a superstar play a negative character. Were you or your producer or actor apprehensive about the prospect of being rejected by the audience?

If Jai is negative, Lava and Kusa are positive characters. Since two of the characters are normal, there was no reason to bother about anything. Also, the negativity is not artificial. It's very organic. So, there was no risk involved, in my opinion.

Not only is Jai's character negative, but also the denouement is not in the regular mold. Didn't it worry you either?

Far from it being a worry, we are glad that the climax is coming in for a unanimous applause. Not one has opined that Jai shouldn't have died in the end. I think the idea is quite different to be had.

Since Jai's character is the film's major highlight, many are feeling that he should have been there from the start instead of being a pre-interval intro. What is your take?

I don't share this opinion. It would have been a hackneyed thing to have Jai's character in the first half. He is there when the time is ripe. As you know, the reception has been overwhelming and the audiences are liking the fact that the drama gathers weight after his entry.

The childhood episodes are crucial to the narrative. Isn't it?

Oh yes. Rajamouli garu has especially liked these episodes. With the childhood story told, the sympathy towards the character is always writ large. We have shown that Jai becomes Ravana-idolising only because he was not allowed to play Rama as a child.

How is it a dream-come-true to work with Young Tiger?

He is such a dedicated actor who took the script to another level. He is stunning and a natural. It's because he is already convincing that we didn't use the prosthetics.

Do you accept the criticism that Raashi Khanna and Nivetha Thomas don't have much role to play? Tamannah has garnered more accolades than the two.

Such is the temperament of the story. Whatever it is, Raashi and Nivetha have done a fabulous job. As for Tamannah, it's because of the song's popularity.

What has the learning curve been for you?

Content matters. I am now confident that, if you have a strong script with you, you can dream big (about doing big-ticket movies). I can widen my horizons now. Actually, I had this confidence from the beginning. Never did I feel tensed about JLK's fate. My family members were spending sleepless nights days before the film's release. I told them to never worry as success was assured.

What is your upcoming film?

So far, nothing has been finalized.