Two years ago, before the release of the Telugu crime comedy DJ Tillu, actor-screenwriter Siddhu Jonnalagadda told this reporter that he wanted to be a star of a 100-crore film in the next three years. The statement came from a space of confidence. The 2022 Telugu comedy crime drama was a raging hit and its dialogues continue to have recall value. When we begin this interview for Tillu Square, scheduled to be released on March 29, Siddhu laughs heartily when reminded of his statement.
The making of the sequel has been anything but easy. “It is a mixed bag of emotions,” he says. “DJ Tillu was a fresh outing and we did not anticipate it would become so huge. We began the sequel with a bigger goal and it was my responsibility to take it forward.”
Siddhu says there were days of high stress when he questioned his decision to take up the sequel. “There were also times when an episode would turn out so well that the effort seemed worth it. At the end of the day, what matters is whether I worked with honesty and was not driven only by the motive of becoming a star. We all tried to tell a story in an entertaining manner.”
