Allu Bobby (Allu Aravind's son) and Sidhu Mudda (Bobby's cousin) have jointly produced 'Ghani', which hits the screens on April 8. In this interview, the producers talk about working with Varun Tej, picking the genre of sports drama, the challenges faced, expectations from the movie, Varun's hard work and more.

Excerpts:

Allu Bobby:

Let me take you through my journey. I started out in 2009. I brought Just Tickets and Qube to the film industry. I have been in the industry, behind the curtains, for about 12-14 years.

Director Kiran Korrapati of 'Ghani' is a newcomer. We chose the sports drama genre because it hasn't been tried much. This is also the first notable Telugu boxing-based movie since 'Amma Nanna O Tamilammayi'.

Sports films have a rise-fall-rise trajectory. You will find it in 'Ghani' as well. What is unique about our film is that it touches upon the theme of political intrigue in the field of sports. It's told as Ghani's journey, how he comes of age, what he realizes in the process.

The Angry Young Man persona comes out vividly. There is also the mother-son angle in the story. There is a lot of emotion in a sportsperson's journey. You have to see his journey as an emotional one. 'Ghani' is a fictional story completely.

Sportspersons face a number of bottlenecks, be it economic, societal or psychological. 'Ghani' reflects the struggles of a lot of them in a realistic way.

There is an element of risk when an actor is doing a sports film. Varun suffered a shoulder injury while undergoing training in boxing. It was not easy. But for his cooperation, it would not have been easy.

'Ghani' hasn't been made to go pan-India. We are releasing the movie only in Telugu and Kannada as of now. Casting has to be smart. You shouldn't squander away a talented artist. Every artist who has done 'Ghani' is there for a reason.

Varun did an unbelievable amount of homework. He read books besides training in boxing. He prepared a great deal at the psychological level. He is an actor with a lot of potential. I wanted him to do a subject that will change the game for him. The sports genre is one such idea.

As a producer, I want to do the right things, learn on the go... I am going to produce a web series next. I learned a great deal while doing 'Ghani'. After all, there was the biggest crisis in the form of the covid pandemic. I at least had my father by my side. It was a new experience to handle the finances by myself. I must thank Sidhu Mudda, my cousin, for sharing the load. We are not just business partners; we are family members. Good mentorship is crucial. My father gave me precious pieces of advice during the making of 'Ghani'.

'Ghani' is releasing two weeks after 'RRR'. It's not a big deal. 'Shyam Singha Roy' came a week after a big hit like 'Pushpa: The Rise'. 'RRR' will keep the audience busy for two weeks. 'Ghani' will get its audiences when it releases.

Allu Arjun will be the chief guest for the pre-release event of 'Ghani'. It will be held in Vizag on April 2.

I floated my own banner because I want to do my own thing. Success or failure, I have to own up to the result. That's why I have produced 'Ghani' on Allu Bobby Company and not Geetha Arts.

'Ghani' is an honest film. It's a good outing. I don't want to boast. Thaman (music director) and George C Williams (cinematographer) have done a superb job. This film adopts a balanced approach to offering entertainment while being content-driven.

Sidhu Mudda:

'Ghani' happened because of Varun Tej's association with director Kiran. Varun has known him since 'Toli Prema'. It was Varun who asked Kiran if a sports film would be the ideal genre to do. He came up with a line and we liked it.

The film is about the journey of Varun's character Ghani. It has no similarities with 'Amma Nanna O Tamilammayi'.

Covid-19 set in soon after we completed the first schedule. The second wave came in after the second schedule. Through and through, Varun Tej supported us fully. He suffered a shoulder injury during while undergoing training. He decided to learn boxing even while doing 'Gaddalakona Ganesh'. We spotted the right trainer. What you see in 'Ghani' is pro boxing, not something else. 'Toofan' (Hindi) and 'Guru' are the only proper boxing movies we have seen in Indian cinema.

We picked Suniel Shetty because he suits the role. It's not because we wanted our film to have a pan-India flavour or something.

A lot of incidents in the movie are inspired by what an ambitious sportsperson goes through in his journey. Director Kiran gave us producers scores of narrations. The execution is as good as his narration.