Producer’s job is risky: Sumanth Ashwin

Sumanth Ashwin plays a basketball player, Adi, in his upcoming film Chakkiligintha to be released on this Friday.

“This is a fresh story with a college backdrop,” says the actor. “I am confident that once the film releases, youngsters will talk about it in coffee shops, malls and other hangouts,” says Sumanth.

The shooting needed a sophisticated location. “We looked for modern colleges in Delhi, Mumbai and even thought of going to Bangkok for the college scenes.

We worked on the budget for the trip, however, the director found a good college, MIT College, in Shamshabad,” says Sumanth adding that the college didn’t give permission for the shoot initially.

“The principal asked us about the film’s story and our director Vema Reddy sent a small synopsis. The principal liked it, consulted his colleagues and then gave permission. We shot the film in 25 days in that college,” says the actor.

Some parts of the film were shot in Vizag too. “Our last schedule was in Vizag, but then Hudhud happened. With the greenery gone, we had doubts and even considered shooting on Goan beaches. However, we decided in favour of Vizag and ours was the first film to shoot in Vizag, post-Hudhud,” he says.

Sumanth Ashwin’s father M.S. Raju was once a hit machine in Tollywood. But now he stopped making films after his last few films failed to work at the box-office.

“From my childhood, I have seen both ups and downs of my father. But his passion for cinema is still there. His judgement never goes wrong. His experience is a great help for me,” he says.

He adds that the producer’s job is always risky. “That’s why I chose to be an actor. If an actor fails in one or two films, he can bounce back with a hit. When it comes to the producer, if one or two films fail, he incurs huge losses and it takes time to recover,” he says.

Talking about his father he says, “One day when I got back home after shooting, my father asked me about the scenes that were shot.

On learning that it was an action film, he asked how many goons I ‘fought’. When I replied 10, he replied ‘you are a short and lean person and you won’t look good fighting with ten goons’.

I then called my director and expressed my father’s doubts. He spoke to my father and then made changes. That’s how my father helps me,” he says.

Sumath is friends with all the directors that he has worked with. “If I have any doubts I call and take their opinion,” he says. With two projects in the pipeline the actor adds, “I am concentrating on my film career and not thinking about marriage or girlfriends.”