‘Mangalavaaram’ marks the debut of Swathi Reddy Gunupati as a producer. Swathi is the daughter of businessman Nimmagadda Prasad. Suresh Varma M co-produced the film.
Your family has been in the entertainment industry for 30 years. Why did you wait so long to enter the film industry?
Swathi Gunupati: I’ve been fascinated by movies since I was a child. Suresh Varma, my co-producer, and I have known one other for many years. I told him I wanted to do a film while he was with us at Maa TV. He also stated his desire to produce a film. In the industry, he is senior to me. He was eager to join forces. Although I listened to a few stories, ‘Mangalavaaram’ is the one that inspired me to produce. Everything is fate!
Suresh Varma: I heard two or three stories before ‘Mangalavaaram’ occurred. During the production of ‘RX 100,’ Ajay Bhupathi told me the ‘Mangalavaaram’ story which I liked immensely.
Did you gain confidence after Allu Arjun heard the story?
Swathi: I’ve always been confident. But Allu Arjun’s feedback encouraged me to go ahead with this project. He loved ‘RX 100’. It became a cult classic. He enjoyed the direction in ‘Maha Samudram’ as well.
You may have chosen to work with big stars given your background….
Swathi: When I first started out as a producer, I decided that it would be better to do a small film than to put myself under a lot of strain. I want to make a film that emphasizes the story. The reaction to ‘Mangalavaram’ has been fantastic.
You invested big money in ‘Mangalavaaram’!
Swathi: Ajay Bhupathi’s vision seemed to come to life only if that much money was invested. This is not a routine film. Audiences are watching these types of stories and genre movies. There is no compromise in anything.
Chiranjeevi garu tweeted the trailer and said nice things about you. How did it feel?
Swathi: It was a very emotional moment. Chiranjeevi garu used to tell me I am like my father. Everyone was surprised after seeing the teaser and trailer of ‘Mangalavaaram’. I didn’t get a single message after the poster was released because nobody knew it was me who was the producer. They couldn’t make it from my surname Gunupati on the poster. My father was happy that I did the film in collaboration with Suresh Varma.
