Interview: Mallik Ram – We worked on Tillu Square’s story for about 600 days
Published on Mar 21, 2024 7:00 pm IST

Mallik Ram

Star Boy Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s upcoming film Tillu Square is scheduled to hit theatres worldwide on March 29th, 2024. Directed by Mallik Ram, the film stars Anupama Parameswaran as the leading lady. Siddu also wrote the screenplay and dialogues for the film, which was produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi under Sithara Entertainments. The film is presented by Srikara Studios. Meanwhile, director Mallikarjun Ram, aka Mallik Ram, interacted with the media today.

As the first part was a big hit, what care did you take regarding Tillu Square?

We worked on Tillu Square’s story for about 600 days. As the first part was a cult hit, we tried to do as much justice as we could for Tillu Square. DJ Tillu was a unique film, and recreating it was a difficult task. We wanted to make the second part bigger. Tillu Square will have an open ending and we do have plans for the third part.

Will there be Radhika’s character in Tillu Square?

The Radhika emotion is present in the second part, too. A problem entering Tillu’s life is the film’s theme. What problem is Radhika creating, and how is Tillu solving it? All the mistakes he made in Part 1 will haunt him in Part 2 throughout the film. There is a massive difference when it comes to the story. Tillu Square isn’t a black comedy film like the first part. It is a very universal, simple, and commercial film.

Why did it take so long to wrap up Tillu Square?

After the interval, the first 30 minutes are always a problem. If that segment doesn’t work out, the film’s graph will drop. We wrote a track for that and shot for 15-16 days, but somehow, we didn’t like it. We decided not to release the movie, write a new track, and shoot again. If you watch Tillu Square without any comparisons, you will be entertained.

Why did you choose Anupama over Madonna Sebastian and Meenakshi Chaudhary?

The reason for casting Anupama is because she is a highly talented actress. Many people, including Madonna Sebastian and Meenakshi Chaudhary, were considered for the female lead role. Anupama, too, showed interest, but she left the project due to dates issues. Again, she happened to come on board, and we were sure that she was the right fit for Lily’s role. There are talks that I saw her in Rowdy Boy and cast her, which is not true.

Why did Thaman back out of the project?

From the very beginning of the film, we decided to repeat the same team. We wanted Thaman to give the background score, just like in Part 1. Ram gave us three songs. We tried a song with Sricharan Pakala, and it came out well. Because of a small change, we went to another music director for Oh My Lilly. Thaman was unavailable for this movie as he was busy with other projects, so we went ahead with Bheems Ceciroleo. He did three reels, and the output was fantastic.

How was it working with Sithara Entertainments? Also, could you tell us about your upcoming projects?

At Sithara Entertainments, the only thing that they worry about is quality. The budget was never a concern. Vamsi Anna always tells us to focus on the story and not worry about the budget. It is a very good production to make all kinds of films. Trivikram Garu has been of enormous help to us. He watched the movie and gave some suggestions. The re-shoot happened only due to Trivikram Garu’s advice. On the work front, I signed a PAN-India film with AK Entertainment.

    

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