Naga Vamsi: We should have marketed Guntur Kaaram as a family film 

We had previously reported about the fair share of controversies the Mahesh Babu starrer Guntur Kaaram has been embroiled in before its release. Post its theatrical release on January 12, the makers of the film have been on the receiving end of severe abuse and flak, with netizens tearing up the film for its poor story, direction, music, and production values. The film, whose tickets were sold for inflated rates, also garnered brickbats for the same. Naga Vamsi, the producer of Guntur Kaaram, has addressed some of these issues in a recent press meet.

He has taken responsibility for some of the film’s failure by stating that they should have marketed it as a family film, not a ‘mass’ film. To the uninitiated, the makers of the film have promised the audience and Mahesh Babu’s fans, that Guntur Kaaram will be a ‘mass’ film, high on fan service moments and adrenaline-raising action. The film turned out to be the opposite, focused on lengthy dialogues and dramatic sequences highlighting familial discord between the mother-son characters played by Mahesh Babu and Ramya Krishnan.

Commenting on how an oversight in marketing contributed to a mismatch of expectations, which has, in turn, resulted in scathing criticism, the producer says, “We felt the film wasn't projected properly, we should have informed the audience in advance that this is a family film, not a mass film. Though we saw some bad reviews from the youth audience who attended the 1 am show, which was propelled by a negative campaign, the family audience eventually came through. They enjoyed the film and made it successful.”

Guntur Kaaram also stars Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishnan, Prakash Raj, Teja Kakumanu, and Rahul Ravindran. The film is written and directed by Trivikram. Thaman has composed the music for the film, with cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa, editing by Navin Nooli, and production design by AS Prakash.