Entertainment is my forte, says Srinu Vaitla

Director Srinu Vaitla’s Dhee was a huge hit and set the precedent for many films. He went on to make successful films like Ready, King, Namo Venkatesa, Dookudu and Baadshah with big stars. However, his last two films Aagadu and Bruce Lee were criticised. Now, putting everything behind him, the director has made Mister with “a fresh approach”.

“Entertainment and comedy are my forte. So I don’t want to ignore it in my films. Writing a story is easy, but the toughest part is narrating it in an entertaining way. That’s why most of my films take time. For the first time, I am coming up with a different kind of love triangle, told in an entertaining way,” says Srinu Vaitla about his upcoming film.

The director says that this film is not an answer to his critics. “I learnt more from my failures than my successes. My last film was not up to the mark as I couldn’t deliver the entertainment quotient. But I don’t have any regrets because I know that if people reject a film, it means that it wasn’t good,” he shares, admitting that the film had a few loopholes.

“No one is spared when they deliver failures and I am no different. But I don’t have to prove my ability as a director with this film. I am passionate about cinema and criticism gives me strength,” says Srinu, adding that he doesn’t usually take criticism or negative comments seriously.

“When I face failure, I work harder to deliver a successful film. I get motivation from the people, because wherever I go, they talk about my earlier films and how they like my comedy,” says the director.

Talking about Mister, the director reveals that writer Gopi Mohan had narrated a story to him in December 2015. “It took me eight months to turn it into a complete script. We wanted a fresh face and thought of Varun Tej and completed the script with him in mind,” he says.

Srinu says that he is very excited about this film because of two reasons. “One, it is a triangular love story that I never attempted earlier. Two, I shot this film in many locales — Spain, Switz-erland, Ooty, Kerala, Baba Budangiri Hills in Karnataka and the outskirts of Hyderabad, something I never before. I travelled so much because of the story and so, this is a travel film too,” he says.

The director is not taking any remuneration for this film as he is going to be a partner. “Yes, I have joined as a partner. I can’t divulge any other details though.”

He adds that he misses comedian M.S. Narayana, a regular in his films, who passed away a couple of years ago. “I got a new person named Raju and I am sure he will replace MS,” says Srinu.