TENSION WRIT LARGE ON CHIRANJEEVI'S FACE AT SHANKARDADA ZINDABAD AUDIO RELEASE FUNCTION

Actors too are susceptible to nervousness when they are on stage. And this can be seen in Chiranjeevi's face too at the audio release functiion of Shankardada Zindabad. When he is not talking on the megaphone, he is nervously watching the proceedings. Which in other words means, quietly feeling the pulse of the audience. Take a look at the photographs carefully, you can feel the tension that is writ large on Chiranjeevi's face. It is visible even when he is all smiles and laughter. What could the cause of the worry be? Is he worried about the fate of the film? Or whether he would be able to live up to the expectatiions of his fans?

THE AUDIO IS OUT AND IS REPORTEDLY QUITE A RAGE WITH THE FANS, WILL THE FILM BE THE SAME TOO?

The audio of Shankardada Zindabad, the sequel to Shankardada MBBS, was launched with great fanfare at a function held at Shilpa Kala Vedika on Wednesday. Fanfare, because some of the prominent actors and directors of the Telugu film industry graced the occasion. They include actors not just from the Chiranjeevi clan like Pawan Kalyan and Allu Arjun, but Venkatesh too made his presence felt.

Of course, the entire cast of the film -- Srikanth, who plays the role of ATM, Karishma Kotak, the heroine, Mamata Mohandas, Devi Sri Prasad, who complosed the music for the film, Prabhu Deva, the director.

Also present were the Tollywood filmmakers K Raghavendra Rao, Trivikram Srinivas, S J Surya, V N Aditya, M L Kumar Chowdary, Aswini Dutt, M S Raju, Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao, Dil Raju, Gemini Kiran, Ravi Shankara Prasad, Manohar Prasad, T Trivikrama Rao, Addala Chanti.

The whole auditorium reverberated with the cries of Shankardada Zindabad when the audio was released.

WHO SAID WHAT:

The most precious thing for me in the world is the affection and enthusiasm showered by my fans. Devi Sri Prasad, who scored amazing music for Shankardada MBBS. did even better for Shankardada Zindabad. All songs in this film are superb. Sometimes, I feel jealous of the manifold talents of Devi Sri Prasad.

-- Chiranjeevi

I always wanted to do at least a small role in Chiranjeevi’s film. I am acting like a representative of all the fans. My dialogue in the film represents the heartbeat of all the fans. It took me 18 years to fulfill my dream of becoming hero.

-- Pawan Kalyan

Shankardada MBBS was a big hit. I hope that Shankardada Zindabad will become a bigger hit.

-- Venkatesh












THERE IS NEVER A DULL MOMENT AT OUR HOME, STEP IN

WILL SHANKARDADA DO A SIVAJI? EXPECTATIONS SOAR FOR SHANKARDADA ZINDABAD

With the super success of Rajnikanth's film, Sivaji: The Boss, all eyes are on Shankardada Zindabad, in which Chiranjeevi plays a 'goon-turned-Gandhian'. Chiranjeevi, we hear, is taking all possible efforts to ensure that there are no flaws in the film, technical or otherwise. And he has been monitoring every shot and scene of the film, especially after the not-so-impressive showing of Shankardada MBBS.

Though Munnabhai MBBS was a roaring hit in Bollywood and touched the heartstrings of the people in India, director Jayanth quite couldn't catch the pulse of the film, and the result was that Shankardada MBBS, which would have been a chartbuster for Chiranjeevi couldn't fare as expected. Predictably, Jayanth was blamed for the film's poor showing, and Prabhu Deva roped in to direct the sequel.

But, more than Shankardada MBBS, Shankardada Zindabad needs a very sensitive handling of the film, which is why the filmmakers wanted to retain the entire cast from the Hindi version. But except for Dilip Prabhavalkar, who played Gandhi, the others were not too willing to act in a remake. So, out go Vidya Balan, who was the lynchpin of the entire film after Gandhi, Dia Mirza and Boman Irani. Of course, Srikanth, who played Arshad Warsi, was the favourite of Shankardada MBBS, and the audiences are looking forward to see how he fares in the sequel. One thing we can expect, however, from Prabhu Deva is the technical finesse and the amazing choreography, two things that are vital in a Chiranjeevi film today. Because if the songs catch on, it is half the victory. And, even if they manage to capture 50 per cent of the essence of Lago Rahe Munnabhai, the filmmakers would go laughing all the way to the bank.

Right now, the songs are being picturised on Chiranjeevi and Karishma Kotak in the picturesque locales of Australia. Except for that everything is complete. And the film is sceheduled for release in exactly a month from now -- on July 24.