Slumdog Husband is a different entertainer - Producer Appi Reddy

Appi Reddy is an entrepreneur with good taste and he is now coming to entertain movie lovers by producing the film Slumdog Husband which is releasing on 29 July 2023. As an Entrepreneur, he founded Micro Info Inc in 2010 and Workcog, a Global IT Consulting & Staffing company in 2018. Appi Reddy founded a non-profit organization in 2012 by the name AHR Foundation for the help of underprivileged children. He shared his journey and how Slumdog Husband evolved during his interaction.

🎤 How is your journey from an entrepreneur to a producer.?

- I hail from a small village and my father apart from farming owned a theatre I used to watch second shows of top stars Chiranjeevi, Krishna and others. Later I pursued my education and had been to South Africa and America before coming back to India.

🎤 You already did a Hollywood project before venturing into Tollywood.?

- Yes. Hollywood project is special to me. Even I never expected that I would do a Hollywood project. We did it with good quality and released it in a good number of theatres. The film was Slamma Jamma and is a 2017 American faith-based-themed sports drama film written and directed by Timothy A. Chey.

🎤 How has your interest increased in Tollywood.?

- I moved to India in December 2017 and by that time I had a channel on Mic TV. I was passionate about folk and Telangana culture and had the urge to make a good film. Then I got an offer for George Reddy and I went ahead.

🎤 Is it because you hail from Suryapet or you are passionate about the Telangana language.?

- The language has a beauty and people often ignore the interiors of Telangana. I would like to unearth that talent.

🎤 What is your experience with George Reddy.?

- We learned a lot from George Reddy regarding making as it is a rebel story with newcomers. We erected art college set etc.

🎤 The film also had its share of controversies.?

- Yes. We got ten films experience with this film and the real-life story resulted in a few controversies. There are pressures and financially it did well but not as we expected.

🎤 How did you shift to complete entertainer Slumdog Husband.?

- In between we did a project Pressure Cooker. It is a completely soft film after George Reddy.It got good applause from OTT. This film was released in Feb 2020 while George Reddy was released in Nov 2019.

🎤 How did you get Slumgod Husband script.?

- Director Sreedhar messaged me on Whatsapp. As I browsed down I liked the title Slumdog Husband and the story was interesting. I have never seen such a story in the past. I was unaware of him and no one recommended him so he approached me on Whatsapp. The story had fun and an inner message. He touched upon various social issues in a thought-provoking manner.

🎤 How did Brahmaji's son enters into this project.?

- Brahmaji joined the project for one important role. During the shooting, I felt his son Sanjay Rao would suit the lead role. I decided he would do justice after seeing his film O Pitta Katha.

🎤 How did Sanjay Rao performed.?

- He did justice to his role. He performed well. His character is downplayed as he has a slum background.

🎤 Did you scout for long for a Telugu female lead.?

- We felt that Telugu girl Pranavi would do well for the role. Apart from it, We felt that we should encourage Telugu girls. She is a Hyderabadi girl but I don't know about her exact backdrop. We tested two to three Telugu girls and finally settled for Pranavi.

🎤 The trailer itself starts with a bold dialogue. Is it a strategy to attract youth.?

- Yes, it is part of entertainment. For small films with unique stories, trailer cut is important as telling or not telling a story becomes a problem. We decided to present the story in two minutes in such a way it makes people to throng theatres.

🎤 How did you get Baby (Dog).?

- Just like how we got artists. It is a well-trained dog. It is a friendly dog. It will be a unique feel for Telugu movie lovers. The character has a proper ending.

🎤 How did newcomer Sreedher do as a director.?

- He did very well as a director. He is a good dialogue writer. He did a good job regarding the budget.

🎤 What is the length of the film.?

- 2 hours and we did not trim drastically.

🎤 What's your feel after watching the first copy.?

- We chopped off the starting ten minutes as we felt it was slow. I think as an audience and not as a producer. I felt it was ok. In the worst case, people feel that the director tried a new concept. There are no extraordinary things but it is a good film with a good message. They feel paisa vasool film. Some may love but people never get bored and curse. No film is getting a unanimous talk now a days. It is very tough to entertain all sections.

🎤 What are the highlights of Slumdog Husband.?

- This is not a commercial film to talk about interval block and other things. It is a different genre film having a good concept. It has a different storytelling. Music is the highlight. Bheems gave good music. The film has four songs two each in each half. one is The 80s, 90s retro style song. Cinematographers and editors are newcomers and they did well and we encourage good films.

🎤 What about the film's business.?

- The film is doing good business and we planned for theatrical release.

🎤 Why are you releasing against Pawan Kalyan's film?

- It just happened and we feel happy whatever we get at the box office. We are releasing one day later to avoid competition and get some theatres. We planned for a 21 July release but it got delayed due to censorship.

🎤 Generally, producers will be having tensions but you are promoting the next film Mr.Pregnant.?

- Mr.Pregnant is releasing on 18 August and so we are promoting. You give us your genuine opinion after watching Slumdog Husband and Mr.Prengnant. You might not have seen such films earlier. If you support, we get a boost and inspiration to make new films something different. 

🎤 What are Brahmaji's expectations of the film?

- He is more confident than us. He loved the film.

Cinejosh team wishing Slumdog Husband makers all the best ahead of the film's release at the box office.