Pawan Kalyan gave me a free hand:Dolly

Director Kishore Kumar Pardasani, better known as Dolly, is visibly happy as 'Katamarayudu' is going strong at the Box Office. In this interview, the self confessed passionate director talks about various topics.

Many changes have been made:

I have met many people who have told me that 'Katamarayudu' is very different from the original Tamil movie 'Veeram'. The first half, especially, comes with many changes. I wouldn't do a copycat remake. A film has to inspire me for me to get inspired. As long as the boundaries are not fixed, I am ready to do a remake. And if I am given a freehand, it's not a remake as far as I am concerned. I have retained what is very good in the original.  

Every director has a style:

Each director has his own way of telling a story. I have told 'Katamarayudu' in the way I wanted to. What the writer gives me, I incorporate it in my own style. Each writer who has worked on this film (Vasu Varma, Srinivas Reddy, Bhupathi Raja and Akula Shiva) has his own speciality.  

No interference from Pawan Kalyan:

A director gets the freedom he wants if he is clear about what he wants to deliver. If that condition is fulfilled, no actor would interfere.  

You can't take Pawan out of the character:

Any commercial hero comes with his own image. You can't take out a Salman Khan from the character he is playing. Same is the case in 'Katamarayudu'. The 'pancha kattu', the twirling of the mustache are elements that are there keeping the hero's image in mind. It's all about how well you mold your hero into the character. 

A risky call it was:

It was a risky call to decide on the 'pancha kattu' look. I was a little apprehensive as to whether the audience will like it. But when he came to the sets on day one with that look, we all were amazed. As a director, I got immense pleasure. I was watching the movie on day two in a multiplex. I saw people enjoying even unimportant moments.  

He is very cool:

Pawan Kalyan garu is always cool on sets. He is not serious at all as people think. He used to share a lot of things with us. Be it any topic, he speaks fantastically. I connect well to positive minded peopls. I would have loved to travel with him even more.  

Market matters:

Production houses believe in making a 'Dangal' if the market is assured. Calculations regarding safety will always be made in any industry.  

Direction is my passion, not work:

I could have done any film after 'Gopala Gopala'. I have many scripts. But I don't think on those lines. Direction is not a profession or a way to mint money to me. It's my passion. I never worry about the number (of films I make). A film may take me three months to complete. It may take three years to complete. I don't care.  Unless I believe in it, I don't take up a project.