Aug 31, 2026 7:00pm IST
Salman Khan-Starrer ‘Monster’ Producer Dil Raju: ‘50% Of The Shoot Is Done’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Even as producer and distributor V. Venkata Ramana Reddy, known professionally as Dil Raju, hinted at an upcoming collaboration with Yash at a recent event, his Sri Venkateswara Creations (SVC) has been in the news for some time for a project with Salman Khan, titled “Monster.” The film, touted as a pan-India action thriller and marks Dil Raju’s first partnership with Khan.
With so many of your films doing well, are you confident your Salman-starrer will do as well?
I would be confident even if none of these successes had happened. But yes, they do boost the industry’s overall morale. See, if people like one film, they would go to another, and so on. But if they don’t like a film, they would be reluctant to make that trip to the movie theatre.
So, it’s all about great content, then?
Oh yes, content is king. In addition, if you give them their favorite stars, phir toh sone pe suhaga (nothing like it).
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Everything is working now, but the situation was quite bad, a while back, though…
From June to now, all films, all even mid-range ones, have become superhits in Telugu. Continuously, almost all movies, including the latest one, “Irumudi.” So, content, and even the admission rates are getting completely advantageous for the middle class. We used to increase the ticket prices a lot for big films. Because of that, the audience had gone away. So, we are not increasing the ticket prices now.
And what do you think of the theatre percentage system that is being talked about?
The percentage hasn’t changed. There has been some talk, but we are going back to the original format. Only the rental system is going on in Telugu states. Now, the footfalls have been very good for the last couple of months.
After several flops, there is a spree of successes. What lessons can producers and filmmakers learn from this?
That content is important. If the content is not good, they will not come to the theatre, right? We have to excite the audience with the right content. We have to keep the theatres comfortable for middle-class people. Upper-class people will spend; no issue. The middle-class is the main audience. Yes. So, they have to be pleased.
What happens to the audience mindset?
In the Telugu States, it has become a movement. When people see a good film and like it, they are encouraged to go back and see another film. Now,, we don’t have the impact of OTT. In Hindi cinema, there is an eight-week window between theatre and OTT releases. In Telugu, it’s four weeks. Also, audience mindset has changed. They go to the theatre to enjoy now.
No, I am also working with Akshay Kumar as well. The project is directed by Anees Bazmee. Shooting has ended.
The recent hits are very family-oriented films.
Yes. But all these are basically family films. Youth, family, mass, everything is coming together now.
‘Monster,’ your film with Salman Khan, is very expensive?
Yes, it is. We are coming in 2027 on March 10 or 11. Now, 50% of the shoot is done. We will finish filming by October or November at the most. The director Vamshi Paidapally is working very hard. And Salman ji's makeover is also working very well.
Are you working on other projects right now? Or is it just this Salman-starrer?
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