Comrade Kalyan Censor Changes Without Compromise

Sree Vishnu’s unique entertainer Comrade Kalyan made strong impression with its teaser, trailer and songs. Directed by Janakiram and produced by Venkata Krishna Karnati and Seetha Karnati, the movie is due for release tomorrow. Meanwhile, the team organized a pre-release press meet.
 
Kona Venkat said the film’s title would acquire a fun twist after its release. “Comrade Kalyan will become Comedy Kalyan after the release. Sree Vishnu enjoys a unique position among audiences because fans of different heroes appreciate him.”
 
Kona Venkat spoke strongly about the censor controversy surrounding the movie. The film is set in 1994 and uses the Naxalite backdrop as part of its comic narrative. However, certain terminology became an issue during certification. “The censor board should only certify the film. They do not have the right to tell us to cut a scene. They are crossing their limits,” Kona Venkat said.
 
He revealed that the team travelled to Delhi to make their case and eventually secured a U/A certificate. The word Naxalite was replaced with Annalu following the objections. “The new guidelines say that Naxalism and terrorism should not be glorified. But we used it for comedy. The film ends with a good message. This is a story set in 1994. They said the word Naxalite should not be there, so we had to replace it with Annalu. I am asking what exactly was achieved by that,” he questioned.
 
The film has a runtime of approximately 2 hours and 17 minutes, and Kona Venkat said distributors bought it after watching the complete film.
 
Sree Vishnu said the censor-related changes have been incorporated without compromising the film. “All the words objected to by the censor have been replaced. There will be a slight sync difference in the first 10 minutes, but the rest of the film blends neatly,” he said.
 
The actor also explained why the film has chosen comedy as its primary mode of storytelling despite having a serious theme. “There is a serious point in the film that can be made in any language across the world. We chose a Naxalite backdrop for it and decided to tell it in a funny way. Surprisingly, everything worked very well.”
 
One of the biggest challenges involved a sequence shot at Ramoji Film City. Although it was an expensive and elaborate episode, the team eventually felt that it did not fit the film’s flow.
“We shot a huge episode at Ramoji Film City. It was actually the costliest episode in my films. But when we watched it in the flow, it felt like the movie was turning into a serious Naxalite film. So we removed it and created another episode.
 
There is a serious point in this film. It can be made in any language anywhere in the world. We chose a Naxalite backdrop for it and decided to present the subject in a humorous way. Everything came together very well. However, this film will be released only in Telugu.”
 
The makers have informed that ticket prices will remain normal for the movie.