Praveen Gandhi – Ratchagan (1997)
Fresh off the hat-trick success — Gentleman, Kaadhalan and Kaadhal Desam — producer KT Kunjumon chose to back another new director after introducing Shankar to Kollywood. This time around, it was Praveen Gandhi. The producer had then claimed that it was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release. While we do not know the actual numbers behind it, a look at its opulent sets and casting would tell you the story. The makers onboarded Sushmita Sen soon after her Miss Universe victory. The film also marked Nagarjuna’s first direct Tamil outing. As the casting made headlines on one side, the massive sets built by Thota Tharani left viewers in awe. Besides the set built for the plot, Tharani is said to have created eight sets just for the song ‘Love Attack’. In the long list of its monumental production value is the film’s climax, which has two villains fighting in a flying helicopter, which was captured by the cinematographer, who flew in another helicopter. The visually rich film, however, failed to impress the viewers with its story.
Mallidi Vassishta – Bimbisara (2022)
Having grown up in a film environment, with his father Mallidi Satyanarayana busy producing projects, Mallidi Vassishta had a natural inclination towards the cinema space. So he began assisting directors in many films while writing stories and pitching them to actors. An avid movie watcher, he suddenly wondered how it would be if someone from the past time-travelled to the present, and this spark led to the fantasy drama Bimbisara. Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, who was also equally fascinated by folklore fantasies, came aboard the film. Mounted on a large scale with heavy VFX works, NKR backed the venture and played the lead role. Vassishta is now busy with Chiranjeevi’s next film, with a sequel to Bimbisara on the cards.