It’s been two years since the release of the blockbuster Karthikeya 2, and the film’s success continues to be felt. Karthikeya 2 was the only Telugu film to win an award at the 70th National Film Awards. Deccan Chronicle reached out to director Chandoo Mondeti, the man of the hour.
He spoke about his plans for Karthikeya 3, and his upcoming film Thandel. Expressing surprise at the film’s massive success, particularly in non-Telugu markets, Chandoo said. “I was super confident about the film appealing to the Telugu audience.
I even had a number in mind in terms of its commercial success. But I didn’t expect it to do so well in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. We dubbed the film ourselves for wider reach via OTT, and it’s been a game-changer.
The final numbers were 10X.” The director attributed the film’s success to divine intervention, saying, “It happened by God’s grace." For a Telugu movie to do well in Hindi is unthinkable because several big movies with huge expectations have failed to work its magic in Hindi.
But Karthikeya went on to become a sensational hit at the box office pan India. “Barring KGF, Kantara and a few Rajamouli movies, none of the movies really left a mark on the Hindi audience. So we were thrilled that Karthikeya did well.
” But Chandoo feels that getting a national award is the high point. “This is the highest honour—for a Telugu film to bag a national award. And this is the final stroke,” he says.
When asked about plan.