Director Anil Ravipudi Urges Pan-India Stars to Embrace Smaller Regional Films

• The Raja Saab, despite a ₹450 crore budget and pan-India marketing, collected only ₹143 crore domestically, becoming a box-office disappointment.
• In contrast, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, made for Telugu audiences with a ₹200 crore budget (₹28 crore production), grossed ₹300 crore, highlighting that scale doesn't guarantee success.
• Director Anil Ravipudi advocates for pan-India stars to balance big-budget projects with smaller regional films to stabilize the industry and prevent single-screen theatre closures.
• Ravipudi notes that inflated budgets and rising visual standards create a dilemma for stars considering smaller projects after global-scale films.
• Filmmaker Thammareddy Bharadwaja revealed The Raja Saab was originally a modest Telugu project, but pan-India ambitions led to budget inflation, reshoots, and a loss of identity.

Why It Matters: Pan-India stars should balance big and small films to stabilize the industry and ensure diverse cinematic offerings.