Nani on bringing back ‘relatable Chiranjeevi’ with Srikanth Odela project: ‘We forgot why we loved Chiru garu’

Elaborating on how placing such pressure on himself, and on Chiranjeevi isn’t doing any good at all. “When people start thinking that way, we stop understanding what made Chiranjeevi garu so relatable to generations,” said Nani, who fished out an example from his own life. “In my childhood, when I walked into the theatre to watch Chiru garu on the screen, I could see him immediately transform into whatever role he was playing. He made us cry, he made us smile, and of course, there were exciting fights too, but what really stood him apart was the immense relatability.”

Nani, who is fondly called the “Natural Star” is someone who has made a career out of being relatable to his audience. Since he made his debut in 2008, Nani has always gravitated towards the script featuring the everyman as the hero, and picked scripts that endeared him to the masses. “We are not understanding the power of relatability. We do these big action films, the big spectacles where the focus is on the technique, music, and the huge action set-pieces. Imagine we do all that but with a strong grasp of relatability… the emotions are magnified by ten times. That used to happen when we saw Chiru garu’s films,” said Nani, who pointed out how theatre viewing has undergone a drastic change in today’s digital era.

“We used to be in complete awe while watching a film. Now, we are having conversations, looking at our phones, etc… First, let’s bring back that brand of cinema. Of course, Chiru garu is larger-than-life, but let us remind ourselves as to why we loved him in the first place. Some say he is good with dance or he is good with action or he is good in this or that… But he is more than all of that. We always saw him as a member of our family, and we seem to have forgotten that now,” said Nani, who is presenting Srikanth’s film under his banner of Wall Poster Cinema.

In fact, Nani, who previously launched Srikanth as a director with Dasara, is working with the filmmaker in The Paradise, which made heads turn with its intriguing teaser. “I think Srikanth’s brand of films with this Chiranjeevi garu at the centre will be a great combination. There is no doubt that it is a proud moment for me as a filmmaker because I never thought Wall Poster Cinema would be able to do a film with Chiranjeevi garu or anyone in that stature. I am very happy, but I also understand that it is a huge responsibility.”

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Meanwhile, Nani, who was last seen in Vivek Athreya’s Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, is currently awaiting the release of his other production, Sailesh Kolanu’s HIT: The Third Case. Headlined by Nani, HIT: The Third Case is set to hit the screens on May 1.