HYDERABAD: Om Bheem Bush, the upcoming comedy starring Sree Vishnu as one of the leads, caught the filmgoers’ attention from the get-go with its quirky title. The teaser for the film, which releases this coming Friday, has garnered more than 3.1 million YouTube hits to date. Sree Vishnu, surprisingly, clarifies that the film’s title was one of the last things to be finalised. The actor explains, “We had thought of two-three titles, and we collectively found Om Bheem Bush the most apt title once we saw the first cut.” He also notes that he always prefers Telugu titles compared to English-worded titles, which were in consideration here as well, adding, “I always express interest in film titles. They are the first thing that catches the audience’s attention.”
Sree Vishnu’s previous film, Samajavargamana, was a huge hit, coming as a huge respite for the actor after a string of middling ventures. However, the actor firmly states that he has never taken pressure for amping up the numbers’ game with each film. He elaborates, “I have never cared about reaching a certain number. I never planned like that—that the market should only grow. Once you enter that zone, that number growth itself becomes the main focus. My goal has always been to ensure that the producer’s investment is safe. Money shouldn’t be lost; that’s the first and main priority always, and the rest is not in our hands.” Further talking about the perils of focusing on big box office numbers, the actor states, “Once expectations come into play, even if a film meets 90% of the expectations, the audience remains unsatisfied. The market should just be maintained; it shouldn’t fall.”
The actor talks about some of the teething troubles when the Om Bheem Bush shooting began at various locations, including a small village near Pune. He said, “The accommodation arrangement that was made initially was located two hours from the shoot location. So I asked them to arrange something close by, trying to avoid the exhausting daily commute, even if it meant some adjustment with the facilities. So for 15 days, Priyadarshi, Rahul, and I shared the same space during the shoot.” Sree Vishnu also recalled facing dust allergies during this part of the shoot, noting that all three actors underwent this bout of coughing and sneezing one after the other, but fortunately, they all overcame it soon enough.
More importantly, Sree Vishnu reminisces about the few casting changes that happened early on during the film’s shoot because of unexpected reasons. He explains, “It was such a weird development that many actors got busy by the time we came to shoot. The first schedule lasted around 3–4 months and mostly revolved around us three. By the time we reached the 5th month of shooting, many had jumped the ship—someone went to Bigg Boss, someone got a bigger film offer, and so on. These changes were something we didn’t expect back then.”
But fortunately, the makers didn’t face too much trouble considering Om Bheem Bush largely revolves around its three leads, Sree Vishnu, Priyadarshi, and Rahul Ramakrishna. The trio had earlier worked together in the film Brochevarevarura (2019). When asked if he felt any pressure to recreate the impact of their first collaboration, Sree Vishnu emphasised that Om Bheem Bush is not the kind of film where one takes things too seriously. The actor added, “A film like Om Bheem Bush is largely about one-liners and how they land. We weren’t too conscious about recreating the magic. We just did the best we could.”
Sree Vishnu also reflects how the comedic impact of films like Om Bheem Bush largely depends on the director’s taste for comedy and the actors’ timing. He elaborated, “The fun element of the film doesn’t come out if the director doesn’t have that knack for humour.” Further talking about his chemistry with the fellow leads, Sree Vishnu said, “Rahul and I were in complete sync. He has a flair for giving a punchline throughout an interaction, so we worked that element in for his character. For Priyadarshi, we gave him a trait where he constantly corrects both of us.”
Sree Vishnu candidly talks about some of his shortcomings or aspects where he doesn’t consider himself strong enough. The actor recalled shooting for a song sequence where he was supposed to lip sync, adding, “Now that has never been one of my strengths—lip-syncing. I am not one of those actors who can dance on command or suddenly break into a jig.” The actor also credited his production banner, UV Creations, for doing most of the heavy lifting when it came to the promotional activities for Om Bheem Bush, stating, “Besides the success of Samajavargamana, of course the teaser and trailer release of Om Bheem Bush helped. Thankfully, UV Creations is supervising everything.”
Sree Vishnu also states that he remains equally open to doing character roles and multi-starrers. Recalling his early years in the industry, the actor adds, “I started with character roles and will eventually come back to those roles sooner or later. It’s a cycle. Except for 2-3 superstars, most of us follow that route. So, I am used to multi-starrers; I am comfortable and ready for them.”
Talking about his future projects, Sree Vishnu briefly explains the storyline of Swag, where he reunites with director Hasith Goli. While noting that Swag is expected to hit theatres in May this year, or a little later, the actor humbly adds, “With so many of my films coming back to back, I just hope the audience doesn’t get bored of me.”