Producer Naga Vamsi, known for being outspoken and vocal in public, recently shared his thoughts on the Malayalam blockbuster Lokah: Chapter One – Chandra. The film, which stars Kalyani Priyadarshan and collected 300 crores at the box office, became the first Malayalam movie to reach this milestone.
Naga Vamsi, who distributed the Telugu version of Lokah, made a controversial remark about how the film would have fared in Telugu. He made these comments during a promotional interview for his upcoming release under Sithara Entertainments, Mass Jathara. The film, starring Ravi Teja and directed by Bhanu Bhogavarapu, is set to release on October 31. Director Kalyan Shankar hosted the interview with Ravi Teja and Naga Vamsi.
During the chat, Kalyan Shankar brought up audience expectations in Telugu cinema. He noted that it is hard to predict which films will succeed at the box office. He also asked why Telugu filmmakers don’t make films like Malayalam cinema.
Reacting to this, Naga Vamsi said that while he distributed the Telugu version of Lokah, the film itself would not have worked if made in Telugu. “People would have complained about the pace and length. It wouldn’t have drawn audiences to theatres and could have failed,” he explained.
“వాళ్లు థియేటర్లో సినిమాలు చూడరు”Five minutes of bashing people who pretend to be intellectuals on X/social media.#MassJathara pic.twitter.com/RSPAfNvV5Z— Gulte (@GulteOfficial) October 21, 2025
He added that audience reactions are unpredictable. As an example, he pointed to the recent releases Little Hearts, Ghaati and Madharaasi (dubbed), which opened on the same day. Surprisingly, Little Hearts, a smaller film, had a bigger opening than the other two.
Vamsi’s comment seems partially true. Telugu audiences have high expectations for local films, but they often enjoy films from other languages if the story is engaging.
Lokah: Chapter One – Chandra stars Kalyani Priyadarshan in the lead, is the first part of a planned five-film franchise and marks the debut of Malayalam cinema’s first female superhero.