No one can recognize when history is being created, and no one has to put any effort to recognize it once it already gained attention and value. That is the thing with movies too. Released on May 9, 1997, it has been 25 years since the film ‘Preminchukundam Ra’ was released in Tollywood only to create a history. This is the first movie in the history of Telugu cinema that managed to embed the aspects of love in factionalism and all the movies that came afterward managed to follow in those footsteps.
Director Jayant C. Paranji spoke about the cult blockbuster on the occasion of the movie completing 25 years. Paranji expressed his attachment to the movie, and those days mentioned that he still feels like the movie got released recently, adding that the visuals of the first day of working on the sets are clear inside his head.
“I went to Tirupati with producer Suresh Babu for the first reel puja. I went to Tirupati under the compulsion of Suresh Babu even though I did not believe in God. Suresh Babu did not sleep well that night as he was very tense. I slept happily. From there we went straight to Vijayawada. First in the main theater. We are watching the show. Nobody enjoyed it. At least not for the comedy scenes. I was scared then. I already had a suspicion about the movie, which Ramanayudu had planted inside my head, like- Do people laugh at this comedy? There was no positive response from the people. I thought it will be difficult to see the movie running in the theaters. But Suresh Babu was cool at that time. It was surprising to see Suresh Babu being so cool, unlike how he was the before night. That was the moment the audience reaction started. I felt relieved and overwhelmed. I was blown away by seeing the Venkatesh fans whistling during the climax scene,”
Jayant recalled how his first-day experience. “The movie was a super-duper hit. Played solo for 175 days. Brought star status to actress Angela Zaveri. Manisharma once again made everyone taste the magic of his music. Directors like VN Aditya, Kashi Vishwanath, and Chandramahesh worked in the direction department for the film at that time,” concluded Paranji.