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Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Teja Sajja on the gamble that changed his life after 'HanuMan': They Laughed at us for going Pan-India
Picture Credit: X Teja Sajja rose to fame after the sensational success of 'HanuMan,' directed by Prasanth Varma , and is now stepping into yet another large-scale action-adventure titled 'Mirai.' The young actor recently shared about the leap of faith that changed his career forever. Taking the big leap with 'HanuMan' During an interaction with Galatta Plus, Teja admitted that taking 'HanuMan' pan-Indian was considered a gamble by many. He mentioned that many producers and directors thought releasing the film pan-India would not have been ideal, as they weren't some big shots at that time. He said, "When we initially announced it as a pan-Indian film, a lot of people, producers, and directors laughed at us. They said, 'Who are you guys? You announced in all these languages, 'You are not even famous. ' No complaints; anybody would have thought the same. But Prasanth Varma and I wanted to go all in." More than a box office success for Teja The decision paid off, turning the superhero spectacle into one of the most talked-about Telugu films in recent years. For Teja, it was more than just box office success. He said, "We are young actors who want to be big stars, but I realized that megastars are made over decades. I am way too serious about my work. Director VV Vinayak once told me, 'For a person to get an opportunity to be a hero is the result of the virtue of many lives,' and I think that stuck with me. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Rates Undo " About 'Mirai' On the current work front, Teja Saja is gearing up for his next film, 'Mirai,' directed by Karthik Ghattamaneni. The film will be a high-concept pan-Indian action adventure. The teaser introduces a legendary weapon—the Mirai staff—which chooses its wielder at a destined moment. Teja plays a reluctant hero tasked with facing an existential threat to humanity, while Manchu Manoj portrays the menacing antagonist, The Black Sword. The film also stars Shriya Saran, Jayaram, and Jagapathi Babu, with music by Gowra Hari. It is set for a pan-Indian release on September 5 across eight languages.
Hindustan Times
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Prasanth Varma on his two National Film Awards for Hanu-Man: It means everything
Prasanth Varma-directed Hanu-Man, starring Teja Sajja in the lead, was a small film made on a humble budget. But upon release, it turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the year, springing a surprise on everyone. So much so was the success of the film, both critically and commercially, that it is being turned into a whole superhero universe of its own. Adding to its list of achievements are now two National Film Awards. Prasanth Varma on Hanuman National Film Awards At the National Film Awards announced today, Hanu-Man bagged two honours– Best Action Direction and Best Film in AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comic), and the director is over the moon with the achievement. Reflecting on his win, Prasanth Varma shares, 'It means everything. I got two National Awards for my first film as well, and then again getting two more National Awards for this film, which is commercially also a very big hit, is amazing. A film getting both money for the producers and also this kind of recognition is a very rare thing. I feel extremely humbled and proud of this.' Insisting that it gives him more zeal to expand the superhero universe, he states, 'This will definitely encourage me and give me more fuel to put in extra effort in the kind of universe that we are trying to build, and also to take this on an international scale.' Made on a very small budget, Hanu-Man getting the award in the VFX category shows that one doesn't need a big amount of money to get the technology right in films. Agreeing with that, Prasanth says, 'Particularly, I think in VFX, if you have talented people and if you give them ample time, more than the money, you get good work. The quality mainly comes from the intention of doing a great film and giving it the best quality. It jots down to the fact that you need to have that ample time to get the quality right.'
Mint
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
The rise of Hollywood-style cinematic universes in southern films
Southern film industries are moving beyond sequels to build expansive cinematic universes, with characters and storylines crossing over, mirroring a model long adopted by Hollywood and now increasingly by Bollywood. Filmmakers like Lokesh Kanagaraj, Prashanth Neel, and Prasanth Varma are creating action and superhero films that remain connected but feature different characters, introducing southern cinema fans to the well-known model of cinematic universes. The Lokesh Cinematic Universe, including Tamil-language action thriller films such as Kaithi, Vikram and Leo , will soon launch sequels to the existing movies, besides a new project starring Suriya titled Rolex , already introduced in Vikram. Prashanth Neel, on the other hand, is set to connect the KGF and Salaar franchises, featuring Kannada star Yash and Telugu actor Prabhas respectively. Meanwhile, Prasanth Varma who released Telugu mythological superhero flick Hanu-Man last year, has already announced a sequel Jai Hanuman besides another film called Simba . Bollywood has already spawned a cop universe including films like Singham, Simmba and Sooryavanshi and a horror comedy universe including Stree, Bhediya and Munjya , besides announcing new projects. 'Everyone wants to intelligently cash in on an existing big franchise," said Yusuf Shaikh, business head-feature films, distribution, acquisition and IPR management at Percept Pictures. 'Even internationally, filmmakers have always tried to carry stories forward, because these movies are always easy to sell. Takers are available, be it satellite or digital rights." However, unlike Hollywood, which doesn't rely on big stars to put together multi-movie franchises , Indian films are still dependent on the most popular names across the language industries to lure people to cinemas, in turn, often inflating the cost of projects. Especially if the previous instalment has been successful at the box office, it is common for the star's fee to go up for sequels and spin-offs. 'It is a limitation that we have. Everyone from the viewer to the platforms and (OTT or satellite) buyers is crazy," Shaikh explained. Also Read: Southern stars turn to OTT as medium gains strength Everyone, including the southern language filmmakers are taking a leaf out of the Hollywood playbook, agreed film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar. He pointed out that Indian film franchises like Dhoom first introduced viewers to the idea of a few principal characters finding themselves in different situations and pitted against different antagonists, launching the idea of franchises in the country. 'Filmmakers have understood the value of reaching out to a wider audience base this way. That said, while lead actors playing pivotal parts in such universes can be easily changed in Hollywood, like say, a James Bond, in India, box office is a star-driven phenomenon," Johar emphasized. To be sure, Bollywood sequels and films part of wider cinematic universes, have fared well, especially those released after the pandemic, setting an encouraging trend for southern cinema. Titles like Sooryavanshi ( ₹ 196 crore), KGF: Chapter 2 ( ₹ 434.70 crore), Drishyam 2 ( ₹ 240.54 crore), Gadar 2 ( ₹ 525.45 crore), Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 ( ₹ 283.8 crore), Singham Again ( ₹ 268.35 crore), Stree 2 ( ₹ 627.02 crore) and Pathaan ( ₹ 543.05 crore) have set the cash registers ringing. 'Franchises make good business sense and are the most successful formula, at the moment. A Baahubali 2 did significantly better than Baahubali 1 , so besides sequels, spin-offs and new characters are also a good tactic," independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said.
