Om Bheem Bush, the upcoming comedy film starring Sree Vishnu in a lead role, caught filmgoers’ attention from the get-go with its quirky title. The teaser for the film has garnered more than 3.1 million YouTube hits to date. Surprisingly, Sree Vishnu clarifies that the film’s title was one of the last things to be finalised. The actor explains, “There were 2-3 titles in consideration, but we collectively found 'Om Bheem Bush' the most apt one after watching the first cut of the film.” Sree Vishnu notes that he always prefers Telugu titles to the English-worded ones, which were in consideration here as well. “I always express interest in film titles; they are the first thing that catches the audience's attention,” says Sree Vishnu.
The actor's previous film, Samajavaragamana, was a huge hit, which brought some respite for him after a string of middling ventures at the box office. However, the actor insists that he has never felt any pressure in relation to the box office numbers game. Elaborating on the topic, he says, “I have never cared about reaching a certain number. Afterall, even if a film meets 90% of its financial expectations, the audience might remain unsatisfied. My main goal has always been that the producer’s investment should be safe. They shouldn't have financial loss; that’s the first and main priority always, and the rest is not in our hands.”
The actor talks about some of the teething troubles concerning casting and accommodation when the shoot for Om Bheem Bush began at various locations, including a small village near Pune. He says, “The accommodation arrangement that was made initially was located 2 hours from the shoot location. So I asked them to arrange accommodation near the location in a bid to avoid the exhausting daily commute, even if this meant some adjustment with the facilities there. So for 15 days, Priyadarshi, Rahul, and I shared the same place of accommodation during the film's shoot.” Sree Vishnu also recalled facing dust allergies during this part of the shoot, noting that all three actors underwent a bout of coughing and sneezing one after the other, but fortunately, they all overcame it soon enough.
More importantly, Sree Vishnu reminisces about the few changes in the film's cast that happened for unexpected reasons early on during the shoot. He explains, “It was such a weird development that many actors got busy by the time we came to shoot. The first schedule lasted around 3–4 months and mostly revolved around us three. By the time we reached the 5th month of shooting, many had jumped the ship—someone went to Bigg Boss, someone got a bigger film offer, and so on. These changes were something we didn’t expect back then.”
But fortunately, the casting trouble did not bother the makers too much, as Om Bheem Bush largely revolves around its three leads, Sree Vishnu, Priyadarshi, and Rahul Ramakrishna. The trio had earlier worked together in the film Brochevarevarura. When asked if he felt any pressure to recreate the impact of their first collaboration, Sree Vishnu emphasised that Om Bheem Bush is not the kind of film that takes itself too seriously. The actor adds, “A film like Om Bheem Bush is largely about one-liners and how they land. We weren’t too conscious about recreating the Brochevarevarura magic here. We just did the best we could with the film.” Elaborating on the comedic impact of films like Om Bheem Bush, Sree Vishnu adds, “The fun element of the film doesn’t come out if the director doesn’t have that knack for humour and the actors lack comic timing.” The timing also depends a lot on the chemistry that the actors share between them. “Rahul and I were in complete sync. He has a flair for giving a punchline throughout an interaction, so we worked that element in for his character. For Priyadarshi, we gave him a trait where he constantly corrects both of us,” says the actor.
Sree Vishnu is also very candid about his shortcomings as an actor; in this regard, he cites the example of lip-syncing for a song. “Now, lip-syncing has never been one of my strengths. I am not one of those actors who can dance on command or suddenly break into a jig, either.” The actor also credited his production banner, UV Creations, for doing most of the heavy lifting when it came to the promotional activities for Om Bheem Bush. He says, “Of course, the release of the teaser and the trailer for the film helped, besides the success of Samajavaragamana. Thankfully, UV Creations is supervising all things promotion.”
Sree Vishnu also states that he remains equally open to doing character roles and multi-starrers. Recalling his early years in the industry, the actor adds, “I started with character roles and will eventually come back to these roles sooner or later. I am used to multi-starrers and am ready for them. Except for 2-3 superstars, most of us go down this route.”
Talking about his future projects, Sree Vishnu briefly explains the storyline of Swag, where he reunites with director Hasith Goli. While noting that Swag is expected to hit theatres in May this year, or a little later, the actor humbly adds, “With so many of my films coming back to back, I just hope the audience doesn't get bored of me.”
Billed as an entertaining comedy drama, Om Bheem Bush is releasing in theatres this Friday.
