Interview: I’ve evolved as a filmmaker, says Mahesh Surapaneni

Now that a Korean film titled Hunt is streaming on an OTT platform, everyone is wondering if Mahesh Surapaneni’s Hunt is a remake of the same.

“No. We announced our project six months earlier. It is predominantly an action thriller and the story is about finding the person who committed the crime,” the director told South First.

Sudheer Babu will be seen as an assistant commissioner of police and is the protagonist in Hunt. “The story runs from his point of view. There are inner demons that he has to tackle. He has to face external enemies who stop him from solving the mystery.”

Everything about Hunt

Mahesh Surapaneni and Sudheer Babu on the sets of ‘Hunt’. (Supplied)

So, what is the conflict point in Hunt and how is it different from the rest of the thrillers?

Premisthe-fame Bharat and Srikanth play important roles in the story alongside Sudheer Babu. The incident that happens in these three people’s lives leads to the conflict point. It brings a drastic change in their life. Arjun (Sudheer Babu) has to fight it out and resolve the crisis, the filmmaker said.

“There is no heroine in Hunt and I want the audience to come without expecting something flamboyant and mushy. It is a hard-hitting crime drama with a lot of action with a runtime of two hours and 10 minutes.”

He doesn’t quite like the idea of films being racy, having sharp cuts, etc. “It is about the pleasure you get in storytelling, how you connect with the problem and how you would root for the protagonist to solve the mystery. The climax is a big surprise,” he clarified.

A major part of Hunt is shot in Hyderabad. A few shots were filmed in Mumbai and France (two weeks). The director wanted a stunt director from Paris who works for Hollywood films shot in Europe.

He wanted a different format of fighting. Renaud Fevaro and Bryan Vigier did a fabulous job.

Ghibran did great work with music and re-recording. There is only one song.

Gripping, intriguing and loaded with action 💥💥#HuntTrailer hits 2M+ views💥

▶️ https://t.co/Dy4gYd3XhK#HuntTheMovie Release on 26th Jan 🔥#HuntFrom26Jan@isudheerbabu @bharathhere @actorsrikanth @Imaheshh @ChitraShuklaOff #Anandaprasad @BhavyaCreations @GhibranOfficial pic.twitter.com/hAG7j1sfT8

— Bhavya Creations (@BhavyaCreations) January 19, 2023

But, Hunt has more of a realistic approach in writing. The basic intricacies of the cop universe have been properly explored and presented.

“After the first film tanked, I thought I faltered big time in writing. The entire loop will collapse if the writing quality goes wrong, no matter how much you spend or however big the star is.”

“I saw many films, analysed them and did a lot of writing to improve my craft. Not that I won’t commit mistakes again but I reworked the important craft of filmmaking. I think and believe that I got it right this time. I evolved. You will definitely find a drastic change between my first film and the second,” he oozed confidence.

But, will it play on the audience’s mind, though unconsciously, that Sudheer Babu’s market plummeted after his recent films bit the dust?

“I guess with Bhale Manchi Roju, he built his audience. The numbers that we are talking about do come into the picture but only till the noon show. After that, it is either a good film or a bad film. If it is a good film, the response will be huge. This argument or decision even applies to the star heroes,” Mahesh analysed.

On filmmaking & business

Mahesh Surapaneni explaining a shot to Sudheer Babu on the sets of ‘Hunt’. (Supplied)

He also opined that the non-theatrical revenue is helping the producers. They are 75 per cent safe and the remaining 25 per cent is a gamble.

“The stake we usually sell to the distributors, particularly in the case of this kind of cinema, is not enormous; We aren’t selling it for exorbitant prices. For the prices we sell, it will be in a safe zone if we get a decent talk after release,” he explained.

Given a choice, the director said, he would focus only on the creative aspect. “But these days, filmmaking is not about writing and shooting a movie. It involves taking certain aspects of business into consideration, too. It is a lot of pressure.”

In filmmaking, the maximum pressure is from people management. Of course, the production house will do what is necessary and designates people handling it. “But somewhere every director is responsible. When you are releasing the content, is it viable, will it get us business,” he clarified.

I love the idea of challenging myself and #Hunt certainly was one! Super proud of how it turned out and excited to show it to you this 26th!! 😎 Shoutout to our incredible action directors & stuntmen.
(1/2)https://t.co/3035if90or pic.twitter.com/PRCF7LmM9D

— Sudheer Babu (@isudheerbabu) January 9, 2023

On changing preferences of audiences

In 2021, the director thought it was the ideal time to pitch the story and subsequently, they began shooting.

On the discerning pick of films by the people, he said: “We have seen the change in trend, the people’s choice of cinema but I was not concerned. I believe that a film will find its audience if it has good content.”

Mahesh Surapaneni and Sudheer Babu on the sets of ‘Hunt’. (Supplied)

“Earlier there was a notion that thrillers and mysteries get a limited audience but the boundaries seem to have been erased. At one point, we would have easily categorised Kantara as a cinema that will have a niche audience. But the fact is that it was appreciated by families,” he pointed out.

Mahesh Srapaneni also felt that the ticket price should be reasonable for the movies of tier 2 and tier 3 heroes, so the audience to visit the cinema halls and get entertained.

“Two-and-a-half hours of time in an AC hall shouldn’t be a costly means of entertainment. For big stars, it is a different ball game. Certain people will have money to spend but not time.”

“They won’t have the time to watch a mediocre film. Even on OTT platforms, we have people telling us they don’t watch a film at a stretch despite being in their comfort zone,” he signed off.