Teja has given a post-release interview a day after the release of 'Sita' on May 24. In this interview, catch him talk about the Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas-Kajal Aggarwal starrer, his way of extracting performances, losing out on projects with NTR and Venkatesh in the past and more.

Does 'Sita' have any similarities with the Ramayana?

There is no commonality between 'Sita' and Ramayana. Kajal Aggarwal's character represents the contemporary world in which people chase material success, wealth and fame. Bellamkonda's character represents the sense of how people should ideally be.

How do you take criticisms?

The audience are used to a certain kind of format. If we show something radical in a film, nobody will like it. 'Chitram' was not liked by many. Even to this day, many are yet to make peace with the movie. Is it not true that teen girls are getting pregnant in our society?

How is the Sita of your film different from the Sita of the Ramayana?

In Ramayana, the boundaries are drawn by society. In my film, Sita creates her own rules. She agrees to the demands of the villain (Sonu Sood) by signing an agreement to be with him for a month.

What is your style of working with actors, especially in the light of the criticism that you often get rude with them to extract the best?

I believe in letting the actors get into the skin of the character by hypnotizing them, by explaining everything in detail. I extract the most from my actors. Some actors set their own walls. I break the walls and let them walk free.

The track between the villain and his assistant is getting a nice response. What is your say?

I had confidence in the comedy track between Sonu Sood and Tanikella Bharani. The audience's response is so good. Writer Lakshmi Bhupala garu wrote the script and I improvized. I sometimes improvize things on the spot when it comes to comedy scenes. For example, in 'Nuvvu Nenu', the 'Moosukkoocho ra poola sokka' line was coined by me on set. Since everyone liked it when I shouted at Sunil, I inserted the line in the film. I don't improvize upon emotional scenes on set.

In 'Sita', the hero comes across as much weaker than the villain. What is your comment?

My villains have always been strong. If only the hero is strong, what would be exciting about it? From 'Nuvvu Nenu' to 'Avatar', that is the case. At the same time, the hero should be weaker compared to the villain in one or the other aspect, be it financial, mental or something else.

Are you satisfied with the product and the critics' responses?

Nobody knows what makes a film a hit. If we knew this, there would be no flops at all. Leave alone 'Sita', I am not satisfied with even 'Nuvvu Nenu'. The other day, I was watching 'NN' when I felt that editing needed to be better in the climax. As for 'Sita', it has got negative reviews as expected. My films have always had this going for them. The second half hasn't been accepted well by the critics.

You were supposed to do movies with Venkatesh and NTR. What happened to those projects?

A film was planned with Venkatesh garu but it was dropped due to some reasons. On the same day as it was shelved, a project with NTR too slipped out of my hands. I never regret anything. As for my next project, nothing has been finalized.

Is it true that you have a project lined up with Bellamkonda?

It's a radically different story. I have to see how far it can be taken. The success of a film depends entirely on the mood of the audience. If they are decided about watching a movie, they go to the theatres. If not, they don't venture into the theatres