Interview : Bekkem Venugopal – OTT becomes a new source of income for producers

Tollywood producer Bekkem Venugopal, owner of Lucky Media, has been producing many good films since 2006. We met with him for a brief interview. Here is the transcript.

Tell us about your journey?

My journey as a producer began back in 2006 with Tata Birla Madyalo Laila. The film became a big success at the box office. Since then I have been producing content-oriented subjects and I am very happy with my decisions. Thanks to all the nice people I have met in my journey including my family.

What’s your plans for this year?

Last year, we produced Paagal and released it in theaters amid the Corona scare. This year, our banner is busy with Sree Vishnu’s Alluri, which will commence a new schedule soon and Sohel’s Bootcut Balaraju. I also have several other projects to announce. You can expect 3 films from our production this year.

Tell us about Alluri?

Alluri is a powerful police film. It has all the emotions and I am super confident about the film. I have known Sree Vishnu since ‘Prema Ishq Kaadhal’ days. Alluri is going to be a turning point in my career.

What’s your opinion on OTT?

OTT is a new chapter in the world of entertainment. The inception of OTT is good because many people who don’t even like to go to theaters are now watching movies on OTT platforms. It became a new source of income for producers. I also like to enter the OTT world by doing a web series, if anybody would come up with a good concept.

Any dream project?

In my early days, I worked in a media house and I know how it works. I want to do a movie based on media. It should bring out both the positives and negatives of the media. The subject is being readied and I will let you all know about it once it’s finalized.

Future projects and directorial debut?

Besides Alluri and Bootcut Balaraju, I am also planning to do an edge of the seat thriller with Aadi Saikumar. I enjoyed the story very much. Surprising part is, it won’t have any interval. The movie will begin at the end of June and a debutant director who has good command on VFX will direct it.