Sreenu Vaitla, who awaits the release of 'Mister' on April 14, is bracing up for a new start. In this exclusive interview to IndiaGlitz, the star director talks about what made him do a film like 'Mister', what we can expect from it, his expectations for Varun Tej, the falling out with Kona Venkat, Chiranjeevi's broad-minded nature, and more.

Speaking at the pre-release event of 'Mister', you said that you didn't make this film because you are desperate. Why did you say that?

I have done 'Mister' with love towards audience. It's a triangular love story, but it's not just about that. The hero has a story, the two heroines have a story of their own, the villain has one. It's multi-layered. All classes of audience will connect to the movie.

'Mister' is a genuine effort. I made this to prove that I can do a film like this. I have earlier made 'Anandam', a pure love story. After 'Dhee', I and others also followed the template in making several movies. That created monotony around that formula. But when I faced setbacks, I wanted to come out of that format.

So, is it a crisis-driven change?

I am not scared of crises. I know what my audience like about my kind of films. And I work towards delivering the goods.

At what phase of the movie does formula finds its way into the narration?

'Mister' is a kind of film I wanted to do for many years. I wanted to do a film which has a lot of scope for music. In December 2015, Gopi Mohan told me this line and I liked it immediately. We both have traveled together in making 'Mister'.

Why then did you not do this kind of movie earlier?

One has to find a story first. It has to fall into place and it's not in your control when it happens. I had had back-to-back commitments. Mahesh Babu's 'Dookudu', NTR's 'Baadshah' and more happened. I was looking at changing my style. I have done 'Mister' by coming out of my format.

Are you going to be like this in future, never to return to those 'Dhee'-'Ready' template movies?

It's not like my previous films were not new. Some of them became big hits because they were fresh. I respect freshness. From now, I want to be different with each film. I want to try genres I haven't worked on. Having a story in place is not that difficult. How to tell it entertainingly is the question. I have learnt lessons from failures. What lessons I have learnt, you will know it after watching 'Mister'.

Quality-wise, how is the comedy in 'Mister' different from that in your previous films?

People expect comedy in my films. The quality of comedy in 'Mister' is quite different. I have tried new ideas. And it's a story and situation-driven comedy that you will see in this movie. There is no separate comedy track. You will find it fresh. The kind of comedy where comedians are made 'bakra' in my films is not found in this film.

Coming to Varun Tej, how is he different in 'Mister' when compared to his previous movies? And how about Hebbah and Lavanya?

He has done action and emotional scenes in his previous films, but in 'Mister', his comic timing is a surprise factor. When we had this script in hand, we all felt, including the producers, that Varun would be the right choice. I wanted to work with him even when he didn't debut in movies. I see a lot of potential in him to become a star hero after 'Mister'.

I like how Hebbah Patel looks. She is classy and subtle in this film. Lavanya Tripathi has already proved her talent. As Chandramukhi, she has given her 100 per cent.

It's said that big stars avoided you after 'Aagadu' and 'Bruce Lee'. Is that true?

Frankly speaking, 'Mister' was offered to a big star, who liked it. But only I know why I retracted. I wanted to do it in a fresh way. I didn't want to infuse elements keeping that hero's image in mind.

As for big stars staying away from me, let it be said that our heroes are mature-minded. They can estimate why a film didn't work.

That brings us to Chiranjeevi's recent praises for you.

I like Chiranjeevi garu a lot. I did 'Andarivadu' because of my affection for him and because I didn't want to lose that great chance to work with him. But I am not someone who can adapt to a story. I have to travel with an idea and have to get involved with it. Ready-made stories are not my cup of tea. He knows that I did that film out of respect for him. He is large-hearted to know why it flopped. That's why we have maintained the same relationship over the years.

I would definitely want to do a film with him. If and when I get a chance, I will deliver a big hit with Chiranjeevi garu this time.

While your association with Gopi Mohan has continued healthily and without a single misunderstanding, Kona Venkat has fallen out. Is it a full-stop? Is there going to be no creative collaboration with him again?

I never talked about him (Kona Venkat). I don't want to be talked about because of vivadhalu (controversies). Even if we were to team up again, that collaboration won't be healthy. It will be inconvenient to travel with him again.

Recently, MM Keeravani made a controversial statement about today's directors having poor music sense. What's your take?

You have to tell me whether I have a good music sense or not. I have never worked with him. I don't know who he had in mind when he made that statement. So, I can't comment on that.