Nani, whose upcoming release Saripodhaa Sanivaaram releases this Thursday, has been on an unprecedented promotion spree for the past few days. The actor explains his zeal, saying, “Actors have a responsibility for taking the film as far as they can. The film-lovers will naturally seek our film out, and then of course the content will speak. But before a film’s release, it is equally important to create that reach and positivity among the audience, who are busy in their daily lives, and trigger an interest in them. For that, one needs to be aggressive in promotions.”
Even though the entire marketing for Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is centred around the actor’s massy avatar in the film, Nani surprises us by sharing that he takes a backseat in the film, and calls the experience ‘refreshing.’ He adds, “In most of my other films, I carry some baggage. This time too, I know I am the hero, but SJ Suryah, Vivek Athreya, Murali Sharma, and Priyanka Mohan, share equal prominence. My presence in the film will be there throughout, and yet, performance-wise, I am in the backseat. The other characters are designed so well, you will enjoy them equally.”
Talking about his experience working with SJ Suryah, Nani recalls, “Most of the time, we didn’t feel the need to discuss; we just understood each other’s process. In many scenes, I was enjoying his performance so much, yet it also gave me a perspective on how to approach my part.”
Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is mounted and promoted as a full-blown action entertainer. Nani sounds acutely aware of how a conscious attempt to cater to all segments of the audience often takes a toll on the film’s quality. He elaborates using a food analogy, “Let’s say there are three of us who like upma, pizza, and biryani, respectively. So if you are served one portion of each in a plate, nobody gets satisfaction.” Further talking about the repercussions of making these films, Nani adds, “When the whole point is about trade and numbers, stars have the pressure, the responsibility that all age groups and sections have to be entertained. And once we start thinking about numbers, the story will be inadvertently compromised.”
At the same time, the Jersey actor talks about the need to maintain a healthy balance while catering to the masses. He explains, “In Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, we have built a very good story, with a few adrenaline-pumping moments. According to the story, 30 per cent of such moments would be enough, but we took it to 90 per cent to reach out to a larger audience, where we thought more frequently along the lines of ‘Let’s have that big theatrical experience.’
We are keeping everyone in mind — one section of the audience will enjoy an element, another will enjoy something else—but it’s not an unhealthy mix. One should feel that it has come out organically.” Describing the driving elements of his upcoming film, Nani states, “Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is an action film—while the action parts are 20 per cent, the action mood occupies the remaining 80 per cent. Even in normal scenes, there will be an anticipation for the action that could come up any moment.”
Nani also brings up the subject of diminishing theatrical footfalls in a post-COVID scenario and finds the alarmist attitude of trade pundits ill-informed. He explains his stance, “I don’t know how this discourse began, and why it continues to happen. But the fact is, if there was one big hit 5 years ago, there are three of them now. More people are coming to theatres now. The only thing that has changed is the number of minimum guarantee films, which has been reduced from six to one or two. In such circumstances, we can’t blame the audience. Tell good stories, they will come.”
Meanwhile, Nani-Vivek’s previous collaboration Ante Sundaraniki keeps coming up in the conversation. The romantic comedy was a box-office failure but has since earned a cult status for its unique narrative and themes. Nani candidly quips how in the past few days, he has been hearing more about Ante Sundaraniki than Saripodhaa Sanivaaram. He adds, “That film has a strong fanbase. There are people who believe it should be kept as it is, without a single frame removed.”
Further reflecting on the film’s box-office turnout, Nani says, “Ante… told a story as it should be told. It didn’t cater to all segments of the audience like a regular commercial film is expected to. So the theatrical reach of the film decreased. We can’t compare Ante Sundaraniki to a film that caters to everybody.” On the subject of reuniting with director Vivek Athreya despite the film’s underwhelming performance, and whether he felt any apprehension before saying yes to Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, Nani is quick to assert his confidence in the filmmaker.
He states, “If that was the standard, nobody would find work in films for too long—except Rajamouli sir maybe. The greatest of them have had the biggest of flops.” Further talking about the subject, Nani notes, “Failures make us stronger and more cautious. To be honest, back-to-back successes make us lazy. An occasional failure makes us wiser.” Elaborating on why Ante Sundaraniki’s failure didn’t bother the actor-director duo beyond a point, the actor says, “If Vivek and I had made a bad film and it failed, we would have talked about how to make a good film and make it work. But with Ante…, we made a good film. And we have made a good film again, with Saripodhaa Sanivaaram.”
Nani speaks at length about the idea of success, and how he takes it as a personal responsibility. He elaborates, “I want to know every detail behind my films’ success, whether everyone made money or not. If not, then it’s not a success for me. I am the one who is interacting with every department, so I know what’s happening with all of them. If the whole town is calling my film a superhit but two territories lost money, it keeps bothering me.” Nani also recalls instances when he went back to some distributors, who had earlier lost money on his films, to give them a chance to recover their costs. “Success is not an information people give you. At the end of the day, in your head, you should know if you are successful or not. That satisfaction lasts longer,” the actor reflects, as he signs off.