Chiranjeevi has teamed up with director Anil Ravipudi for the first time for their upcoming film Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, which is gearing up for release during the upcoming Sankranthi festival next year. 

Although Ravipudi’s previous film Sankranthiki Vasthunam, starring Venkatesh, was a huge hit, it is surprising that his new film with Chiranjeevi has not yet secured an OTT deal, according to a source.  Despite the OTT deal still being pending, the makers are determined to proceed with a Sankranthi release. “Chiranjeevi suggested to the producers that they can always sell the OTT and satellite rights even after the film’s theatrical release,” the source said. 

The source further revealed that the makers have quoted a high price for both OTT and satellite rights, which has made the buyers hesitant. With current box-office outcomes being unpredictable, OTT platforms are reluctant to invest heavily in films without  a guaranteed performance, the source added. The film is produced by Sahu Garapati and Sushmita Konidela.

To add to the challenge, this Sankranthi season is packed with several major releases including Prabhas’ The Raja Saab, Ravi Teja’s Bharatha Mahasayulaku Vijnapti, Naveen Polishetty’s Anaganaga Oka Raju, and Sharwanand’s Nari Nari Naduma Murari. Apart from these, a couple of Tamil films dubbed into Telugu are also slated for release around the same time.