I want to have that record, says Anil Ravipudi

For kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s, Megastar Chiranjeevi, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Daggubati Venkatesh and Akkineni Nagarjuna were the ultimate icons of Telugu cinema. Remarkably, director Anil Ravipudi, who grew up watching their films, has managed to work with three of these legendary stars in his career so far.

Among the current generation of Telugu filmmakers, Anil Ravipudi holds the rare distinction of directing Nandamuri Balakrishna in “Bhagavanth Kesari” and Venkatesh in three films, including “Sankranthiki Vastunnam.” He has now added another milestone by directing Megastar Chiranjeevi in “Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu,” which is slated for a theatrical release on January 12.

The only senior star yet to be ticked off his list is Akkineni Nagarjuna. Speaking about it, Anil Ravipudi said, “Everyone keeps asking me the same question. I hope it happens very soon. If it does, I will be the only director of this generation to have made films with all four top stars of the 90s era.”

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Sharing his experience of directing Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh together in “Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu,” the filmmaker said the memories will stay with him forever. “I share a very strong bond with Venkatesh garu. I feel extremely lucky to have directed both of them in a single film. Venky sir appears towards the end, and the 20-minute episode featuring Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh is going to be a complete riot,” he revealed.

Anil Ravipudi also hinted at a novel element in the film that is yet to be disclosed, adding that it forms the core of the story and will pleasantly surprise audiences.