1st Half For Fans, 2nd Half For Families: Gopichand Malineni

Nandamuri Balakrishna’s mass action entertainer Veera Simha Reddy is turning out to be the biggest blockbuster for the actor. Many are appreciating director Gopichandh Malineni for presenting Balakrishna in a mass-appealing manner.

The director says he feels lucky to get the movie when Balakrishna is in top form with the success of Akhanda, and when he got wider reach in masses, youth and families with Unstoppable show. “Fans of all the heroes are fans of Balayya Babu. I wrote this story keeping in his God of Masses image and fan moments. Sister sentiment has also been added as a surprising element in this. In fact, films like Samara Simha Reddy and Narasimha Naidu became such blockbusters, because they have heart-touching emotions. While fans compliment me after watching the first half, the second half connects more to families.”

Black shirt and black shades became Balakrishna’s signature style. “There was a lot of work behind Balakrishna’s look in the movie. We have grown up watching all his movies, and we designed this look with a special focus on his extraordinary looks in previous movies. The audience owned his look and get-up.”

Gopichand says he strongly believed in the story, particularly the sister sentiment. “We got more applause than we expected for the emotional scenes. It felt very emotional when the audience who watched the movie expressed happiness with tears in their eyes. The emotion we felt connected to the audience. Balayya Babu watched Krack and he felt Varalaxmi would be the right choice.”

The director affirms no dialogue in the movie was encompassed deliberately. “Audiences are enjoying the dialogues because they come very naturally from the story. Balakrishna is an extraordinary actor. He can emote just with expressions.”

He says Thaman likes giving space for him while composing music. “I have a special bonding with Thaman. He likes that I give him space to score music. He has done a lot of live music, saying that the amount of music given to him is not enough for the elevation given to Balakrishna’s character. Jai Balayya song became a rage.”

Gopichand also expressed his happiness for working under Mythri Movie Makers banner. “I was signed, before the release of Krack. That’s the trust they had in me. They are wonderful producers. It is not a simple thing to release two big films in a balanced way.”

The director says he right now is enjoying the success of Veera Simha Reddy and will announce his next later.