Vijay Deverakonda's father spills beans on 'Meeku Mathrame Cheptha'

Hyderabad: With its quirky new promotional tactics, Vijay Deverakonda's production venture 'Meeku Mathrame Cheptha' had garnered much hype before its release. The movie had also raised the expectation of Telugu fans considering its formidable star cast – it has talented new-age actors like Abhinav Gomatam, director-turned-actor Tharun Bhascker Dassyam and Anasuya Bharadwaj in lead roles. Telugu fans, especially the 'Rowdy gang' of Vijay too were optimistic about the movie as it had been backed by their favourite star himself and his money was at stake. However, there have been mixed reviews from critics and fans after the release of the film.

Just before the movie's release, Vijay had admitted that he had put his heart and soul in it and spent 70 per cent of his overall earnings to produce Meeku Mathrame Cheptha. However, when the movie was released in the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, it received a lukewarm response from the audience.

Going by the visuals, locations and casting, surely it was an apparent feeling that the production unit hadn't spent more than Rs 1 crore. Few cine-goers and fans took to social media to comment that the movie has a very shabby look similar to that of a typical Telugu short film and put the blame on the sub-standard production values adopted by the team.

Amid severe criticism on the production front, Vijay Deverakonda's father Goverdhan Rao shared some information about the movie. Goverdhan, who has vast experience in Telugu television serial production and direction, said contrary to the criticism, Meeku Mathrame Cheptha had cost them Rs 5 crore. Asked about the below-par standard of some of the visuals, Goverdhan said the post-production had not been done as expected.

Goverdhan said the digital intermediate, which processes colour and image characteristics, was not completed in the desired way. There were several scenes shot with night effects, though they haven't come well in the end, he said.