Venky Kudumula was once one of the most promising directors in Telugu scoring back-to-back hits with Chalo and Bheeshma. However, his third directorial venture, Robinhood, starring Nithiin and Sreeleela, turned out to be a major box-office disappointment. After remaining relatively quiet following the film’s failure, the filmmaker has finally opened up about what went wrong and accepted responsibility for its outcome.
Venky admitted that he deliberately stepped outside his comfort zone with Robinhood, experimenting with a different backdrop involving drugs and mafia elements. He also felt that the security guard track in the first half could have worked better as a romantic comedy. Speaking about the failure, he said , “We cannot win every match we play, can we? We put in 100 per cent effort for that film. My first two films were entirely entertaining and within my comfort zone. But for the third film, I thought differently and took a new step by choosing a backdrop involving drugs and mafia. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t what we expected.”
The director further revealed that the film’s delayed release had nothing to do with its disappointing performance. Reflecting on the experience, he said he was now returning to his strengths and working on a full-fledged entertainer. Venky is reportedly keen to rediscover the comic sensibilities that made Chalo and Bheeshma successful. His next directorial venture is expected to be an attempt to get back on track and reconnect with audiences.
