Aadarsha Kutumbam locking October 30 has hit the small films on that date hard, and one producer has now spoken out. Dheeraj Mogilineni, producer of the kids’ entertainer Summer Holidays, took an indirect dig at Naga Vamsi and the way big films announce their release dates.
“They Have That Luxury”
Dheeraj didn’t hold back while explaining the problem.
“Even if Venkatesh and Trivikram’s film announces its release date just four days before, theatres will come and audiences will come. They have that luxury. Small films like ours don’t,” he said.
Publicity Budget Already Spent
Dheeraj revealed how badly the late date announcement has hurt his film.
“I spent our entire budget on publicity, believing Summer Holidays would release on October 30,” he said. “Now we have to borrow money again and do publicity for another week.”
For a small film, that’s a serious blow. Most small producers plan their promotions around one fixed date, and a sudden change can wipe out everything they’ve already spent.
“It Happens Every Time”
Dheeraj said this isn’t the first time a small film has been caught out like this.
“This happened with Aadarsha Kutumbam. It happened with Lenin. It keeps happening every time,” he said.
“No Communication With Small Films”
His biggest point was about how release dates are planned in the industry.
“Big films talk to each other. But there is no communication between big films and small films,” he said.
Big producers often coordinate among themselves to avoid clashing with each other. But according to Dheeraj, small films are left out of these conversations and find out only when it’s too late.
The October 30 Fallout
Aadarsha Kutumbam’s date was confusing for weeks. The makers had told distributors October 30, then there was talk of November 13, and the date was finally confirmed by Venkatesh only on Dussehra, just ten days before release.
Since then, the small films planned for October 30 have been scrambling. Sailesh Kolanu’s Emo Emo Idi has already moved out, and now Summer Holidays is having to push its plans by a week too.
About Summer Holidays
Summer Holidays is a family film about a city boy who spends his summer break at his grandparents’ village in the Godavari region. Directed by Srikar and produced by Dheeraj Mogilineni, it features Jayasudha, Rajeev Kanakala and Harsha Vardhan in key roles.
A Debate Worth Having
Dheeraj’s comments have opened up a bigger debate in Tollywood about how release dates are announced, and whether big films have a responsibility to give small films enough notice.
