GOGwill be a milestone moment in Telugu cinema - Vishwak Sen

‘Mass Ka Das’ Vishwak Sen is joining hands with Neha Sshetty, Anjali for an intense gangster drama Gangs of Godavari, written and directed by Krishna Chaitanya. Presented by Srikara Studios and produced by S Naga Vamsi, Sai Soujanya under Sithara Entertainments, Fortune Four Cinemas, the film, which has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, is releasing in theatres on May 31.

Ahead of the release, Vishwak Sen and producer S Naga Vamsi came together for a media interaction. 

Excerpts from a chat:

Vishwak Sen

- When I signed Gangs of Godavari I imagined it would be catering to the youth, though I didn’t discuss or think too much about it. As I watched the first copy this week, I realised that the film is meant for all age groups - it doesn’t have any vulgarity or cringe moments. A certain section of audiences may get distracted by a couple of dialogues in the trailer, but how one views a film is decided by their taste, upbringing and approach towards life. 

- There’s a lot of talk about Telugu cinema going global lately. We too have a taste for films like The Godfather, Scarface and shows like Game of Thrones. It is because they are a product of honest, no-holds-barred filmmaking. Gangs of Godavari too has a fight before intermission without slow motion and background score that’ll blow everyone’s minds. It’s a risk but filmmaking is evolving with time and we must respect that.

- I was conscious about getting the Godavari slang right. I didn’t want anyone to point a finger at my performance and I think I did justice to the role and won’t disappoint you. I don’t want to be labelled as a Telangana actor. Gangs of Godavari will be a milestone moment in Telugu cinema. I’m saying this after a screening yesterday.

- I learnt a lot from Lankala Rathna, he comes across as an unpredictable character, but he is someone with his own set of morals. I related with that side. Gangs of Godavari will most likely have a sequel, but unlike Hit, I will be playing the lead role in it too. 

S Naga Vamsi

- If people are finding a few moments in the trailer too direct, they need to understand the rags-to-riches story revolves around the highs and lows in the life of a slum dweller and the tone is decided by his trajectory. Supriya garu (of Annapurna Studios) called to tell me that she really liked the trailer. I presume she understood it too. We can make better films if we’re more open minded.

- Gangs of Godavari is Vishwak Sen’s finest performance to date. What you’ve seen from him in the last five years is a mere trailer. Audiences will be surprised that a young actor has pulled off such a challenging role. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background score is a major highlight. Lankala Rathna is a character that’ll stay with you after a long time. 

- The first half has many high moments, showcasing Rathna’s growth while post intermission focuses on the problems he faces. It has all the commercial highs that a regular viewer expects from a mass film. Apart from Vishwak, the performances of Anjali, Neha Shetty and Goparaju Ramana will be widely talked about. 

- The film was to be made by a popular production house, but was shelved later and the director came to me for a narration. I liked it and felt it was a genre we haven’t explored much in the recent times. I called Vishwak, briefed him about the Andhra backdrop and he greenlit it immediately. Vishwak wanted it to be titled Lankala Rathna but I insisted on Gangs of Godavari, I felt the appeal of the story would widen with the title.