We need to celebrate cinema and bring audiences to theaters, says actor Chakrapani Ananda
Veteran actor Chakrapani Ananda discusses industry challenges, the impact of OTT, and his recent projects, urging for fresh, thoughtful content
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2024-06-12 15:11 GMT
Actor Chakrapani Ananda is someone who needs no introduction. His performance on screen has a huge number of fans. Though he made his debut with Daasi in 1988 and then played the lead role in Chitikela Pandiri in 1992, he had to take a break from acting as there were not many opportunities back then as the cinema industry was operating from Chennai.
It was Mallesham in 2019 that brought him back to fame and since then, he has been part of 40 films. Chakrapani was recently seen with Raju Yadav starring in Get Up Srinu. Though this film did not do well at the box office, Chakrapani's performance is something that won the hearts of the audience. Talking to us about it, he said, "Raju Yadav is my most recent film. My character was written beautifully. When I visited the theatres, people came to me and praised my performance. Many have come to me crying and were so emotional. Even critics have written well about my performance in this film."
When asked about the challenges the industry is currently facing, and probably what could make things better, he said, "After the arrival of OTT, a lot of terms have changed for the industry. Audiences are not ready to come to the theatres to watch repetitive and stale content. Earlier, there used to be several films made with the same stories. But now, audiences are not ready to spend money on watching anything that does not live up to their expectations. So there is a huge need for content-driven films."
Adding more to it, he said, "Malayalam films are the best example. They pick a situation or a subject and build a storyline around it. That is how we need to work on stories right now."
In recent times, though many films have hit the screens, not all films impressed Chakrapani. It was only Vidhu Vinodh Chopra's 12th Fail that made him fall in love with cinema all over again.
Besides the routine stories, when asked about what is the other aspect that might be stopping the audience from coming to the theatres, he said, "Cinema should make us think. Cinema itself is a festival that we all need to celebrate. Films are landing on OTT platforms just within a gap of one two-week post-theatrical release and this is not a good thing. With the amount they have to spend on watching one film at the theatres, they get an OTT subscription for the entire year. Star hero films, especially when released during the festival seasons, should take months to come to the OTT. Let people walk into theatres only to watch their favourite actors on the screen."
Chakrapani will next be seen in Gandhi Tatha Chettu which has director Sukumar's daughter in a key role. "This is a beautiful story between a grandfather and granddaughter. It is about a tree, and has a message for the good of the environment," he concluded. He is also currently working on multiple exciting projects.
It was Mallesham in 2019 that brought him back to fame and since then, he has been part of 40 films. Chakrapani was recently seen with Raju Yadav starring in Get Up Srinu. Though this film did not do well at the box office, Chakrapani's performance is something that won the hearts of the audience. Talking to us about it, he said, "Raju Yadav is my most recent film. My character was written beautifully. When I visited the theatres, people came to me and praised my performance. Many have come to me crying and were so emotional. Even critics have written well about my performance in this film."
When asked about the challenges the industry is currently facing, and probably what could make things better, he said, "After the arrival of OTT, a lot of terms have changed for the industry. Audiences are not ready to come to the theatres to watch repetitive and stale content. Earlier, there used to be several films made with the same stories. But now, audiences are not ready to spend money on watching anything that does not live up to their expectations. So there is a huge need for content-driven films."
Adding more to it, he said, "Malayalam films are the best example. They pick a situation or a subject and build a storyline around it. That is how we need to work on stories right now."
In recent times, though many films have hit the screens, not all films impressed Chakrapani. It was only Vidhu Vinodh Chopra's 12th Fail that made him fall in love with cinema all over again.
Besides the routine stories, when asked about what is the other aspect that might be stopping the audience from coming to the theatres, he said, "Cinema should make us think. Cinema itself is a festival that we all need to celebrate. Films are landing on OTT platforms just within a gap of one two-week post-theatrical release and this is not a good thing. With the amount they have to spend on watching one film at the theatres, they get an OTT subscription for the entire year. Star hero films, especially when released during the festival seasons, should take months to come to the OTT. Let people walk into theatres only to watch their favourite actors on the screen."
Chakrapani will next be seen in Gandhi Tatha Chettu which has director Sukumar's daughter in a key role. "This is a beautiful story between a grandfather and granddaughter. It is about a tree, and has a message for the good of the environment," he concluded. He is also currently working on multiple exciting projects.