‘Korean Kanaka Raju’ is a good fun entertainer: Director Merlapaka Gandhi.
Mega Prince Varun Tej is all set to entertain the audience with ‘Korean Kanakaraju’. Directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, this horror comedy will provide a great theatrical experience with supernatural elements and laugh-out-loud entertainment. UV Creations and First Frame Entertainment are jointly producing the film. The already released glimpses, entertaining teaser, trailer and two chartbuster songs have created a good buzz among the audience about the film. ‘Korean Kanakaraju’ will be grandly released in theaters worldwide on August 7. On this occasion, director Merlapaka Gandhi shared the features of the film in a press conference.
How did the story of the Korean princess begin?
-I went to a wedding through Anantapur with some friends. We stopped at the Kia factory at night. The place was visually very nice. I learned that there is a special community for the Koreans working there, restaurants and markets that are suitable for their culture. I found it very interesting that there are Koreans in a place like Anantapur and that a special culture has been created for them. That’s when I thought that it would be good to have a story that connects Anantapur and Korea. While thinking about it, I started writing this story with the thought of what it would be like if a Korean spirit possessed an Anantapur boy? What kind of comedy would come out of that?
Was this story originally intended for Varun Tej?
-First, I thought of another story for him. After telling him that, I also told him this Korean point. He liked it very much and asked me to develop it. After the complete script was ready, I told him again. He liked it a lot. He also gave some small changes and good suggestions. Let’s make this story better together.
-I really like Varun Tej as an actor. He tries new concepts. He is always ready for new experiments. In this story, there is a Korean character along with the character of Kanaka Raju. Varun Tej seemed to be the actor who fits these two shades. His physique also suited this role perfectly.
There are a lot of gaps between your films. Why?
-I work on many stories at the same time. Sometimes, after a while, I don’t like the story. Then I put it aside and start another story. Also, finding suitable actors for the story and preparing the script completely also creates some gaps.
Your father is also a story writer, isn’t he? Can you make a film with his story?
-True. I have an idea to make a film based on my father’s story. But his taste and mine are different. He likes romantic stories. I like making fun, family entertainers. Otherwise, I should make a film based on my father’s story.
Tell us about Ritika’s character?
-In this film, Rithika works in a Korean factory. She loves Korean culture very much. In fact, she also knows the Korean language. Her look also matches that culture very well. She has a lot of Korean dialogues in the film. For that, we brought a tutor from Korea and trained both the hero and heroine in Korean. We also brought a tutor from there for the Anantapur accent.
What about the other characters?
-This is a completely fun entertainer. Satya, Muralidhar Goud, Sunil garu… Every character is very funny. Even though there is a mafia don in this, he is not treated seriously. It runs on fun. Especially after the Korean spirit takes over, the hero speaks in Korean, and the others do not understand anything. From there, very good comedy comes.
Were permissions for shooting in Korea easy to obtain?
-It’s not that easy. The visa process was very difficult for us to go there and for them to come here. We shot for 20 days on an island in Korea. When we thought of the story, we decided to shoot in Korea. Shooting there is very expensive. That’s why we went and shot with a limited crew. We also shot some parts in Kazakhstan.
-The movie will have fun and entertainment as well as good emotion and a beautiful love story between the hero and heroine.
