'Srimanthudu' is an Interesting Concept Treated Commercially, Says Mahesh Babu

Mahesh Babu says his upcoming movie "Srimanthudu", which is slated to release in theatres on 7 August, has an interesting subject that has been treated commercially by director Koratala Siva. 

Superstar Mahesh Babu is now busy promoting his next outing "Srimanthudu", in which he romances actress Shruti Haasan. The actor has pinned his hopes on the movie as his last two releases "1: Nenokkadine" and "Aagadu" failed to live up to the expectations of the producers.

In an interview with IANS, Mahesh Babu expressed happiness over his projects "Srimanthudu" and "Brahmotsavam". The superstar also praised ace director SS Rajamouli for his vision and passion in his blockbuster movie "Baahubali - the Beginning".

The Tollywood superstar says "Srimanthudu" will give back to the audience something beyond entertainment.

"It's an interesting concept treated commercially. When director Koratala Siva pitched the idea a year ago, I quite liked it. It has something for everybody. My character Harsha is quite different from all the roles I've done so far in my career," said Mahesh Babu. 

"Srimanthudu marks the debut of Mahesh Babu as a producer. The actor has produced the film in collaboration with Mythri Movie Makers. "Starting a production house was mainly to give my producers (the actual producers of our film) a free hand in terms of the scale of the film and not to compromise on quality during the making," he added. 

The makers have dubbed and planned to release "Srimanthudu" in Tamil as "Selvandhan"; both the movies will be released on the same date. 

However, Mahesh Babu denies that he is cashing in on the trend set by SS Rajamouli's "Baahubali". "We were to explore this idea with my last film, but it somehow didn't work out," the actor said.

His forthcoming film "Brahmotsavam" is a bilingual movie, which is simultaneously being made in Telugu and Tamil, and will be released on the same date.

"The script of the film is such that it will work in both the languages without having to change much. And it's precisely why we've decided to make it as a bilingual," he said.

"Srimanthudu" was initially slated to hit screens on 17 July, just a week after the release of "Baabubali", but the generous actor pushed its release to August for the sake of "Baahubali", which has become a huge success both critically and commercially. The superstar is very happy about its performance.

"Our entire film fraternity should be proud of 'Baahubali'. These are the kind of films that are not made very often. It was Rajamouli sir's vision and passion that made all this possible," he said.