Nani and director Srikanth Odela recently sat down to discuss the response to their latest film, ‘The Paradise’. The film opened to strong box-office numbers but received mixed reactions from audiences. During their conversation, Srikanth admitted that he was surprised by the contrasting responses and said he needed more time to understand them.
Nani and Srikanth Odela discuss ‘The Paradise’ response
Srikanth said he was surprised by the different reactions to the film and admitted that he was still trying to make sense of them.“I literally got shocked at a few things, and for a few things, I am not understanding them. I mean, genuinely, I don’t understand what it is; I don’t understand the reaction of those who said it’s good, and I don’t understand the reaction of those who said it’s not good. It is just that blank for me. Maybe it will take a week to understand what exactly it is,” he said.
Srikanth Odela compares ‘The Paradise’ response with ‘Dasara’
Srikanth also compared the response to The Paradise with that of their previous collaboration, Dasara (2023), saying that the audience reaction to the earlier film became clearer much faster.Nani, meanwhile, said he expected The Paradise to generate strong reactions because of its intense subject and distinctive narrative style.
Nani says reactions to ‘The Paradise’ are extremely divided
“For this, any reaction is an extreme reaction,” Nani said, pointing out how differently audiences have responded to the film across social media platforms.He added, “Someone says the second half didn’t connect with them at all, while someone else calls to say they are fully satisfied and tells me not to mind the negativity.”Nani also observed that some viewers were defending the film by sharing clips and reels, while others were strongly criticising it.“We are just watching them fight among themselves. I didn’t expect this extreme; I thought there would be either a clear verdict of this or that, but it is a strange feeling,” he said.
Nani says audience response reflects their trust
According to Nani, the intensity of the reactions also demonstrated the level of trust and expectations audiences had placed in him and Srikanth.“That just shows at the end of the day how much confidence and trust they had when coming to the theater, placing their belief in me and you since we are working together,” he said.Nani added that the team had invested themselves completely in the film and never approached any scene casually.“And now seeing these extreme reactions, you also feel like, you know and I know, we put our hearts out. Meaning, we never approached any scene on any day thinking ‘this is enough’ or ‘this will do’. We put in our hard work,” he said.He further explained that despite the lack of a unanimous response, the film’s strong opening and the high expectations surrounding it could also be viewed as evidence of the audience’s affection for the actor-director duo.“But in a way, even if it is not like films that get unanimous positivity, with such high expectations, such a grand welcome, and such a grand opening, I feel today’s reactions are still a proof of the love they have for us,” Nani added.
Nani says criticism should be used as feedback
Nani also said the team should treat the criticism as feedback and use it to improve their future projects.“Make sure the next one which comes from Srikanth, or which comes from Nani, or which comes from both of us together again, is something where everyone—even those fighting right now saying it is not good, should celebrate. We should be able to create something like that; this should become a big plus,” he said.“We must take whatever feedback they are giving and whatever setback they are mentioning about the film,” Nani added.
About ‘The Paradise’
Set in the slums of 1980s Secunderabad, The Paradise follows a marginalised community confronting social discrimination and being denied basic rights.The film also stars Kayadu Lohar, Raghav Juyal, Mohan Babu, Sonali Kulkarni and Sampoornesh Babu. Keerthy Suresh is set to make a special appearance.
