19 January 2024
Hyderabad

Guntur Kaaram, the Trivikram directorial, starring Mahesh Babu, that released for Sankranti, braved mixed responses and is enjoying the patronage of family crowds over the weekdays. Clearing the air about its collections, producer S Naga Vamsi held a press meet today. Here are a few takeaways from the interaction.

‘We, perhaps, shouldn’t have organised 1 am shows for a family film’
We were so busy with the post production till the last minute and organised the pre-release event a little late. Amidst the rush, we didn’t have enough time to prepare audiences for the film as a family drama. Perhaps a few fans expected it to be a mass film and affected its run in the US.

Given, the expectations weren’t set right, there was backlash initially. Unlike Salaar, which was a mass film and could give audiences a high even in a midnight show, the scenario was different for Guntur Kaaram, a family film. Organising 1 am shows may not have been right for it.

‘I was tense after the social media backlash but Mahesh Babu trusted the film’
I couldn’t understand why a certain section of media and several social media accounts were so against the film since the morning of the release. Even I was tensed about it, but it was Mahesh who calmed us and assured us that the tide would change. His trust was a moral booster and he was proved right.

‘Negative reviews haven’t affected the film’
Reviews can’t make or break a film. Opinions are written based on what one person or two thinks about it and it doesn’t reflect public taste. Despite the mixed responses, family crowds are coming in huge numbers. Audiences have shared positive feedback directly from theatres and regular crowds are loving Guntur Kaaram.

Every film can’t appeal to everyone and there will be limitations to every story. A film is a success if it performs well in most areas. Distributors and buyers are very happy with the response for Guntur. It has almost reached a break-even stage (90% returns) in several regions.

Clearing the air about the cyber complaint to BookMyShow
We realised that a lot of people who didn’t even watch the film were rating it 0 or 1 and our PR team identified it. We’ll give a response about it soon.

Guntur Kaaram, not a one-man show but a two-man show
Mahesh Babu has acted, danced and emoted well and you notice his vintage charm and looks, yes, but who has extracted that performance from him? It’s all because of Trivikram. The film is not a one-man show but a two-man show. While Athadu and Khaleja stuck to a particular genre, Guntur Kaaram is a commercial film that appeals to a wide range of crowds.