Ahead of the release of 'Inttelligent' on Feb 9, Vinayak in this interview talks about the premise, working with the Mega hero, copycat directors, what he wants to do two years from now, and more.

How do you describe 'Inttelligent'?

It's a pucca commercial entertainer. There is a mind game in the movie. We have seen the final copy yesterday. The output is great. There is comedy, action, romance, everything. This is my fourth film with Shiva Akula (story-writer). All the three were hits. C Kalyan garu has made it without compromising anywhere.

The movie is in the same format as my other movies. When I heard the story, I felt it's great.

We are expecting so much from the songs. What is in store?

I thank Thaman for the four extraordinary songs. The last time I worked with him was on 'Naayak'. The choreography by Jani Master and Sekhar Master for 'Inttelligent' is fabulous. Rehearsals were held for the songs. I thank my lyricists.

It's not like I went only for 4 songs because of the 'Khaidi No. 150' sentiment. I feel a song shouldn't hurt the pace of a film. The audience shouldn't walk out during a song.

I am glad that 'Chamak Chamak' remix is getting rave response. It was my wish to do the song with Sai Dharam Tej, as the original is one of my favourites.

What is Sai Dharam's character in the movie?

He is a happy-go-lucky guy who is loyal to his guardian. He takes it upon himself when he is in trouble because of a gang. His role has humour, pain and other emotions. He has essayed the role in his own style.

I feel his comic timing, dances, etc are better in this movie than in his previous ones. In one of the songs, he is just like Chiranjeevi garu.

Do you think his image is going to take a turn after this movie?

My heroes have had an image makeover after working with me. But I myself never aim for that.

Why did you go in for Lavanya Tripathi?

We couldn't cast a bigger heroine like Kajal. In Teju's age-group, he has worked with all the heroines but for Lavanya.

How was it working with Teju after Chiranjeevi?

Chiranjeevi garu is a legendary actor. Doing a film with him was far more stressful. I have done 'Inttelligent' in a far more relaxed manner. Same as the case was with 'Naayak'. I have seen Ram Charan and Bunny since children. They came to the sets of 'Tagore' as children. Since they call me 'Annayya', it feels affectionate to work with them.

Is 'Inttelligent' based on a true incident?

We used to hear about a snake gang a few years ago. We have touched upon such an issue. In parallel, an entertaining story is told.

Why do you prefer stories penned by other writers?

Had I stuck to my own stories, I might have remained a director doing faction films. It's when I started taking stories from others that a 'Krishna', an 'Adurs' happened. I have explored new stuff. K Raghavendra Rao garu too believes in the same.

Why are your directors copying from Hollywood movies, French movies, etc?

This is not new. It has always been there. Only that there was no social media back then. Inspiration or copying has always been there. Nobody ever told they were copying. New stories are definitely coming in Telugu. 'Arjun Reddy' is an example.

Are you stepping into politics?

Since my family has a political background, the news keeps written about time and again. I just read and ignore such news. I have no such plans.

When are you going to work with newcomers? When are you going to do multi-starrers? When is 'Adurs-2' happening?

I will work with newcomers 2 years from now. I have a small plan. As for multi-starrers, I don't know what my next film is. I have tried to work on 'Adurs-2', but nothing satisfying has happened so far.

It's said that a couple of your films don't seem like yours. Your comment?

This is the reason I don't read reviews. How can they say they don't seem to be my work? Do I have to blast the Sumos in every film? How can I do it every time?

Why did you mention about Pawan Kalyan the other day?

I said that he should do films not because I want to direct him. The fans were excited about it. Whenever his name was invoked, the crowds were screaming with happiness.