Actor Naveen Polishetty has scored his fourth consecutive hit with Anaganaga Oka Raju, which released on January 14. The film has been performing strongly at the box office, with impressive collections in its first two days and racing ahead towards blockbuster status. Expressing his gratitude, Naveen said, “My heartfelt thanks to each and every audience member who made this such a big success.”
Speaking about Sithara Entertainments, the actor said the production house has delivered several milestone films over the years. “Recently, one or two films from the banner did not perform as expected. At such a time, audiences giving us a blockbuster like Anaganaga Oka Raju has brought immense happiness to all of us,” he said. Naveen added that seeing producer Naga Vamsi’s smiling face made him particularly happy. “I wish he always stays smiling like this,” he remarked.
Naveen said the backbone of the film was Trivikram Srinivas and Radhakrishna (Chinna Babu). “I must specially talk about our gurus Trivikram and Chinna Babu. The trust they placed in us and the freedom they gave — especially in allowing us to retain certain episodes — means a lot. Those very portions are now receiving tremendous appreciation from audiences,” he said.
Talking about the audience response, Naveen said viewers have been laughing continuously from the opening scene till the interval. “The political entertainment in the second half is also getting an excellent response. I have always wanted my films to be entertaining, but this time we also wanted to deliver strong emotions. I admire Rajkumar Hirani’s films, and with that inspiration, we attempted something similar in Telugu,” he explained.
The actor recalled watching the film in a mass theatre like Sriramulu. “The way audiences enjoyed the humour and applauded during the emotional scenes made us realise that the story connected with all sections. This is my fourth film as a lead actor and my first Sankranthi release. Despite heavy competition from big films, audiences turned our film into a blockbuster,” he said.
Naveen also reflected on his early struggles. “There was a time when I used to roam around Krishna Nagar searching for opportunities. Many discouraged me then. But I wanted to prove myself as an actor and show my parents that I could do it. Today, I have delivered four consecutive hits,” he said. Quoting a dialogue from a Trivikram film, Naveen added, “There is some power behind everyone. The power behind me is the audience. They are the ones carrying my films forward.” He thanked Telugu families for their love and promised to work harder to entertain them.
Praising director Maari, Naveen said his contribution to the film is unforgettable. He also spoke about co-writer Chinmayi, saying, “When I was feeling low while writing the story after an accident, Chinmayi filled me with motivation.” Naveen lauded Meenakshi Chaudhary for her performance as Charulatha and praised Rao Ramesh for his outstanding work. “I have great memories with Rao Ramesh, especially when he spoke about his father, the legendary Rao Gopala Rao,” he said. He also thanked music director Mickey J Meyer for the film’s soulful soundtrack.
Concluding, Naveen said that trusting writers, actors, and directors and giving them creative freedom leads to meaningful cinema. “My heartfelt thanks to producer Naga Vamsi for trusting us completely,” he said, adding that several film personalities have congratulated the team for delivering a memorable Sankranthi entertainer.