Dil Raju set to produce a Bollywood film

Producer Dil Raju, who delivered a double hat-trick last year, has some big plans in the offing. The distributor-turned-producer, who awaits the release of Lover on July 20, reveals that he will be entering the Hindi film industry with a big budget extravaganza in 2020.

“We will venture into Bollywood and it’s going to be a big-ticket film. We have already initiated the proceedings and the film will go on floors in 2020. The other details pertaining to his film will be announced at an appropriate time,” he says.

Starring Raj Tharun and Riddhi Kumar, Lover is directed by Annish Krishna of Ala Ela fame and is set in Rayalaseema backdrop. “The story revolves around an orphan who falls in love with a Malayali nurse. The film has an interesting twist during intermission, and the second hour, set in Anathapur backdrop, is going be entertaining,” the producer adds.

Besides Lover, Dil Raju is also bankrolling a slew of films including Mahesh Babu’s 25^th movie. “Unlike last year, we are releasing only three films this year. Srinivasa Kalyanam will be released on August 9 and next in line is Hello Guru Premakosame on October 18. Come 2019, we will start it with a bang as F2 will be released for Sankranthi, followed by Mahesh’s film on April 5. Also, a film with director Indraganti Mohankrishna is in pre-production,” he says.

On the progress of Mahesh’s film, he adds, “The Hyderabad schedule is underway. After this, we will leave for Goa, USA and Europe.”

Asked if Dagudumoothalu has been shelved, Raju clears the air and reveals, “A film with director Harish Shankar is definitely on cards, but a clear picture will emerge only if we tweak Dagudumoothalu’s script or go ahead with another story. Harish and I haven’t arrived at a conclusion on it yet.”