Director Venky Atluri started his career with acting and then writer, settled as director. He talks about his latest film Lucky Baskhar and why he left acting, his inspiration and upcoming projects.
Director Venky Atluri is now on cloud nine as his latest film, Lucky Bhaskar, is doing well at the box office. Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan plays the lead in this film, which was released in multiple languages. “I am very happy to receive a completely positive response, not only from critics but also from the audience,” said Venky Atluri. “In my earlier films, there might have been some criticism or a few negative points, but for this film, everyone had only positive things to say,” shared the director.
Venky watched the film in Cochin and in Hyderabad with the audience. “I don’t watch my films at premieres. I always prefer to see them with a regular audience in a cinema hall,” he said. There are reports that Venky had narrated the same story to other actors as well. “Due to their commitments and other reasons, they couldn’t do it. But when I narrated the story to Dulquer, he immediately gave the green signal after the first half itself,” said Venky.
The director initially wanted to shoot the film in live locations, but the production house made the final call. “Producer Naga Vamsi wanted to make it on a grand scale, so he decided to build large sets for this film, costing nearly Rs. 11 crore,” Venky explained. He added that working with Dulquer was a major source of motivation. “Every morning or after the shoot, Dulquer would send me a message praising a dialogue or a scene, which gave me a boost to work with energy. In that way, Dulquer is a big motivator and easy to work with,” Venky remarked.
The director revealed that some of the dialogues were written on set and turned out beautifully. “I was an 80s kid, so I understand the value of getting something after negotiating with parents for hours or days. I wrote some of the dialogues and scenes with those experiences in mind,” he said.
Venky also mentioned that he is a fan of Trivikram Srinivas and that his influence shows in his dialogue writing. “But as a producer, Trivikram never interferes with my work or suggests anything about the story. Like any other producer, he watches the film and shares his opinion,” Venky said about Trivikram. Venky began his career as an actor before transitioning to writing. After writing for a few films, he made his directorial debut with Tholi Prema. “Writing gives me more satisfaction than all three. I used to feel very uncomfortable as an actor. When I put on makeup, it felt like a plastic bag on my face, so I decided to quit acting. When I got an opportunity to direct, I took the plunge and became a director,” Venky said. He added that he always enjoys writing, which is why he tends to shoot lengthy films. “But at the editing table, I become a director alongside my editor and cut unnecessary scenes,” he said.
Talking about the child artist Rithvik, Venky shared that he first noticed him in the film Sardar. “I wanted an experienced child artist, and I saw his performance in Sardar. Later, I found out that he’s also a popular YouTuber, so I brought him on for this film,” Venky said.
As for his upcoming projects, Venky stated that he hasn’t decided yet. “But I am going to work with Sithara Entertainments production house,” he said.
