After delivering a blockbuster like F2 fronted by Venkatesh, Varun Tej, Tamannaah, Mehreen Pirzada, director Anil Ravipudi has taken the franchise forward with F3. Much like the first part, this one too is led by the same set of actors. “After directing multiple action packed entertainers, I felt the need to cater to the family audience. That’s how I decided on F2: Fun & Frustration, which turned out to be a blockbuster. The collections left everyone shocked. The F2 success resulted in me making F3 now,” says Anil.
How different is F3 from F2? He explains, “F2 was about frustration in the lives of married couples, F3 is about frustration for money. It’s a different subject with the same characters.” Spinning a sequel to something as loved as F2 is always a challenge and Anil admits that the audience will compare the two films. “The biggest enemy of F3 is F2, as we must surpass the audience's expectations. We have tried our best to better F3 on all fronts by writing great episodes and great scenes. Venkatesh Garu and Varun Tej have taken those scenes to the next level and we are very happy seeing the output of F3,” he smiles.
Comedies have often coincided with the festive season of Sankranti in the Telugu Film Industry but F3 is a non holiday release. Does that worry Anil in any way? “Not at all. If the content is good, people will come and watch the film irrespective of the external factors. Everything apart from content – be it release date or ticket prices – are a bonus. They will pass on the advantage only if the content is good,” he avers.
The Telugu trade is buzzing with the news of Anil directing NTR soon. He confirms, “These are all talks and nothing is concrete as of now. I have a commitment with Balakrishna Garu, which we start in September. I have been speaking to NTR Garu and he is also in the process of finalizing his line up post RRR. There’s nothing finalized yet.”
Anil promises a full on entertainer with NBK. “Of course, the Balakrishna film is going to be an out and out entertainer. It’s completely different from all that I have done before.” And finally, does he have a script for F4 ready? “There is a chance for F4, but it all depends on how the audience receives F3. I want to make F4, but that won’t happen immediately,” he concludes.
