Amid Prabhas’ Raja Saab debacle, MSVPG director Anil Ravipudi says ‘pan-India stars should return to doing smaller films’

Reflecting on this widening gap, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’s director offered a pointed critique of stars blindly chasing pan-India status, arguing that the industry is in urgent need of a course correction – one that balances ambition with rooted storytelling.

‘Pan-India stars need to return to making smaller films’

Speaking to Great Andhra, Ravipudi observed, “Lately, the pan-India market has become extremely wide, with budgets going up to Rs 1,000-2,000 crore. Heroes now have global exposure, and that creates a dilemma when it comes to doing smaller films after appearing in a large pan-India project.”

He added that inflated budgets and heightened visual standards further complicate decision-making. “With global films, the budgets are higher, the standards rise, and visuals become grander. With that mindset, people start questioning whether a hero who has worked at that scale will return to making smaller regional films. That uncertainty becomes a problem for everyone involved.”

Ravipudi believes the solution lies in balance. “If these stars take the risk of returning to smaller films and strike a balance by doing both pan-India and regional cinema, the bubble around pan-India status will burst. The question is, who will burst it first?”

He further argued that such balance could revive the industry’s health. “Right now, all top stars release their films in January, followed by a dry spell of nearly six months. This is forcing single-screen theatres to shut down. If stars start signing both kinds of films, one pan-India and one regional film every year, the ecosystem will stabilise. The regional market has immense stamina.”

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‘Don’t hold anything against them’

When asked whether he would be open to collaborating with pan-India stars, Ravipudi clarified that he holds no reservations. “I don’t have anything against them. I would be happy to work with them at a regional level. If they approach me and give me a slot, I will adapt the story and execute it. Whoever takes the first step to balance pan-India and regional cinema will create a path for others.”

On whether he himself aspires to make a global film, Ravipudi was refreshingly candid. “I have no idea,” he said. “I am very happy with my current success making films for Telugu audiences. I enjoy working within this boundary. If my content organically becomes global, that’s different but I won’t plan it. That approach rarely works.”

‘The Raja Saab was supposed to be a smaller film’

Earlier, veteran filmmaker Thammareddy Bharadwaja echoed similar concerns while discussing The Raja Saab’s debacle. Speaking to SumanTV Vijayawada, he revealed that the film was originally conceived as a small, rooted Telugu project. “From what I know, The Raja Saab was meant to be a simple, charming film that connected with Telugu audiences. Director Maruthi was brought in specifically for that purpose. I don’t understand why they didn’t stick to that original idea.”

He added that the film lost its identity once pan-India ambitions crept in. “As the project progressed, they started reworking it as a pan-India film. Nearly two years were spent on reshoots and changes, drifting away from the original story. Whenever ‘pan-India’ elements are forcefully added, a film deviates from its purpose. Budgets inflate, timelines stretch, and it rarely works in favour of the makers.”

Highlighting the financial miscalculation, Bharadwaja noted, “The film still managed to collect around Rs 100 crore. Had the budget been restricted to Rs 100 crore, it would have been profitable. Today, filmmakers are so focused on scale that they’ve forgotten how to make memorable cinema.”

The contrast in box office performance further underlined the argument. On its 15th day (second Friday), The Raja Saab earned a mere Rs 22 lakh across nearly 400 shows, a steep fall from its 5,000-show opening day. Meanwhile, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu continued to hold strong, earning Rs 2.6 crore on its 12th day with around 1,500 shows.