The Paradise has turned into a very different experience for Nani, not just because of the film itself, but also because of the way audiences have responded to it after release.
Director Srikanth Odela appreciated producer Sudhakar Cherukuri for giving him the freedom to make the film the way he wanted.
“Thanks to producer Sudhakar for letting me work with such freedom. During the filmmaking process, news came out that Nani Anna and I had fights. Yes, it’s true that Nani Anna scolded me, and what I said back might be true too. But the bond between Nani Anna and me goes far beyond just Dasara or The Paradise. He has to tolerate me and carry my vision—he has no other option,” he said.
Mohan Babu praised producer Sudhakar and director Srikanth for their commitment to the project. Calling Srikanth the captain of the film, he explained the importance of a director in bringing a story to life. He also recalled being impressed by Srikanth’s narration and confidence when the story was first discussed.
“As he narrated the story, seeing his courage and the way he narrated it, it felt like peeling a banana and handing it to children to eat. That’s how clearly he narrated the story. We discussed many things, and I agreed to do it,” he said.
The actor further revealed how demanding the director was during the shoot.
“Srikanth tortured me in the film. He gave me a very tough time, truly. I’ve played villains before, but such a terrifying character—this is the very first time in my life that I’ve done one.”
He also heaped praise on Nani.
“The way Nani worked hard in every frame—people have already blessed the film and continue to bless it. It is going to be a super-duper hit; it has already achieved success. Nani is a great artist and a fine actor. You did one type of role in Dasara, and he did another type here. Wearing those hair braids was no small thing. I don’t know why he took that risk, but it is very difficult. The director orders it, but only the person wearing it knows the discomfort of that look and the pain when it pokes.”
Nani said the journey of The Paradise has been completely new from the beginning, with the audience response becoming one of its biggest surprises.
“Everything about this film has happened in a brand-new way—whether it was our filmmaking process, the situations on location, or the circumstances as we got closer to release, even without having a trailer. We knew we were making a new film with new experiences, but we never expected the response to be this unique and new as well.”
The actor particularly highlighted how the film’s reception evolved after the premiere shows. According to him, the response did not follow the usual pattern where a film starts with strong positivity and gradually turns mixed as the day progresses. Instead, The Paradise witnessed the opposite trajectory.
“This is a very new experience for me too. Having done so many films, usually these days what we see is a very positive response on the morning of release, which turns into a mixed response by evening. But strangely, for The Paradise, it turned completely upside down. It started a certain way on the night of the premiere shows, and then, show by show, the positivity kept growing, making it a better and better film. I haven’t seen a film react like this in recent times,” he said.
He also spoke about how audiences have started owning the film and celebrating even its smallest moments.
“Everyone is owning The Paradise as their own movie, enjoying even the smallest moments, talking about them and celebrating them. Seeing this makes me feel extremely happy. I will forever be indebted to our Telugu audience.”
The actor went on to appreciate director Srikanth Odela’s team, Anirudh’s music, Kasarla Shyam’s writing, and the performances of Sampoornesh, Priyadarshi, Sonali Kulkarni, Kayadu and others.
Nani also expressed his admiration for Srikanth’s unique filmmaking approach, while praising producer Sudhakar Cherukuri for standing firmly behind the team.
“We troubled producer Sudhakar a lot. I always say we shouldn’t take the audience for granted, but in a few instances, we took our producer for granted. Yet he stood by us like a team member and placed immense trust in us for such a mad, passionate film.”
