'18 Pages' has Nikhil Siddhartha as Sidhu, a youngster who connects with Nandini (Anupama Parameswaran). In this interview, he talks about teaming up with the film's writer Sukumar, who are the film's target audience, and what he wants to do in his career.
There is no more enormous pressure than success. After 'Kartikeya 2', people might assume that I have been rocking and partying. But that's not true. I have been focused on delivering another hit. And I have also zeroed in on three new projects.
This project was finalized in 2019. We didn't re-shoot '18 Pages' after the success of 'Kartikeya 2'. We only shot after improvised re-writing of the scenes. Earlier, Sukumar garu was busy with 'Pushpa' for a long time. You are going to see Sukumar garu's stamp on the entire script. My characterization is unique, and the story itself is solid. While shooting for a lot of scenes, I struggled to figure out what was happening. Only after I recently watched the film did I understand how cogent it turned out to be.
We are going to dub and release '18 Pages' in Hindi in the near future. Even 'Sita Ramam' was released in Hindi 45 days after its Telugu release.
To be honest, I don't like to do love stories; thrillers are my thing. '18 Pages' is more than just a love story. It has got thrills, it has got emotion, it has got a lot more. We can fall in love with a person in just a second, in a year... Sidhu falls in love with Nandini in 18 pages. There are nice twists and turns as well. You won't be able to predict the climax. And even the setting up of the love story is not run-of-the-mill.
Love, break-up and patch-up are different stages in many a love story. Our film holds a nice message regarding handling rejection. There is a social message on how to take care of elders, especially old people.
Gopi Sundar's songs are couched in a unique context in the film. That's why the songs, I believe, are going to click more after the movie's release. Anupama is the perfect fit for the role of heroine. She has done a great job. We are targeting students, youths, lovers and families, although mass audiences might enjoy '18 Pages'.
I am definitely scared ahead of the release of '18 Pages'. I am anxious about how the audience and critics are going to receive it. I have got to understand people's tastes through social media. I maintain a pseudo account, using which I try to know what the audience are saying about movies. It's a learning experience away from what people in the industry or journalists say.
It was awesome to host Allu Arjun garu at the pre-release event of '18 Pages', the other day. When he appreciated my work, it felt great!
I am looking forward to doing only exciting films. Unless the film is exciting in many ways, the audience are not going to watch your movie in the theatre in today's times.
I am excited about 'SPY'. It's a spy thriller that touches upon a nationally relevant point. I want to do Telugu movies that can have a national reach.
