Producer S Naga Vamsi awaits the theatrical release of 'Swathi Muthyam' on October 5. In this interview, the happening producer throws light on debutant Ganesh Bellamkonda, actress Varsha Bollamma and the work of director Lakshman Krishna.

The producer also talks about SSMB28, and more.

Excerpts:

'Swathi Muthyam' is a fun-filled family entertainer. I am not saying that this is a masterpiece or something. You are going to leave the hall with a smile. We have dealt with a sensitive topic in a fun manner. There are a couple of pleasant songs that you are going to enjoy in theatres. We are planning premier shows on October 4 night for the media in Hyderabad.

There is the element of sperm donation in the film. It is seen as a taboo topic. Our film shows that it's a socially relevant issue. We have downplayed the topic in promotions deliberately. Let the audience soak into the issue while watching the movie. The female audience won't find the element vulgar or crass. The point has been delivered in a sensitive, homely fashion.

New directors these days are confident and have great conviction in their stories. So, Lakshman didn't panic.

We are confident despite the release of 'GodFather' and 'The Ghost'. No week has been free from competition post-pandemic. Dasara is going to accommodate all three movies. It's kind of Chiranjeevi garu to wish our movie the best (recently at a pre-release event).

The title of the movie justifies the male lead's characterization. 'Swathi Muthyam' is a euphemism for a naive person; it doesn't mean he is a low IQ person. You could say that he is as soft as Sekhar Kammula's typical male protagonist!

The entire story revolves around Bala Murali (Ganesh). That's why the title is also centered on him. Ganesh was roped in owing to the story. The script was not written for him. Varsha Bollamma was roped in based on 'Middle Class Melodies'.

In my opinion, 'DJ Tillu' is the last entertainer that was released this year. I feel 'Swathi Muthyam' is the first entertainer coming out in months.

With 'DJ Tillu', Sithara Entertainments further broadened its horizon. We are going to make proper commercial entertainers in the coming years. Even our experiments have worked. 'Varudu Kaavalenu' gave us satisfactory feedback. Only that its release time was not ideal. 'Rang De' was released during the pandemic. Its content was praised by the audience. 'Bheemla Nayak' did superb business in Andhra Pradesh despite low ticket prices. In Nizam, the film did extremely well.

I am making a college-based film with three male leads; Tarak anna's brother-in-law (Narne Nithin) is going to be one of its lead actors. These days, we are confident that newcomers will be encouraged by the audience no matter who are the cast.

A new schedule of SSMB28 will begin in October. I feel both 'Athadu' and 'Khaleja' under-performed in theatres. But they both attained cult status later on TV. SSMB28 is going to exceed even the most unrealistically high expectations from the Mahesh Babu-Trivikram combo. You can say that I am over-confident. I am urging Trivikram garu to infuse an 'item song' as an experiment. Mahesh Babu garu's characterization is going to be on unexpected lines.

Post-Covid, footfalls in theatres have come down by up to 30%. Tollywood producers, therefore, want to make up for the loss of revenue by reducing production costs. This can be achieved by reducing wastage. Like in the old days, the control has to shift to the producer's hands.

There is a debate about what is a small film and what doesn't. 'Swathi Muthyam' is going to be released in 200 locations in the US. Can be it called a small film? It's not easy to complete a film in Rs 4 Cr and meet the threshold definition of a small film. Films coming from big banners can't be completed in such a small figure. 'DJ Tillu' was estimated to be completed on a budget of Rs 4 Cr. It took Rs 9-10 Cr by the end. The buck stops at me, the producer. We had to spend more money to ensure quality. After all, we can't compromise on quality at Sithara Entertainments. The scenario changes from the time the script is read to the time a film is taken to the floors.

We are making films like 'DJ Tillu 2', and have movies lined up with Naveen Polishetty and other heroes. 'Butta Bomma' is another film from our banner. I feel 'DJ Tillu' is one of the most-anticipated sequels.