As far as Swapna Dutt and Priyanka Dutt, the proud producers of 'Mahanati' are concerned, the biopic has been a great learning experience.  They are not only confident about the film's box office prospects but also sound extremely satisfied as dream merchants.  In this interview, catch them talk about the Nag Ashwin-directed biopic.  

Since 'Mahanati' was never an easy film to make, what are your thoughts before its release on May 9?

We saw its special screening only yesterday.  We must say that the biopic has turned out really really well.  We are confident that 'Mahanati' will leave its mark.  It will stand out as a forerunner for many more biopics in future.  

Nag Ashwin could have chosen to do a "regular" film after 'Yevade Subrahmanyam'.  Instead, he surprised you by proposing to direct a biopic.  That too, of Savitri.  You must have been caught unawares when he first told you the idea.  Isn't it?

We did take our time to ponder over the idea. That said, we knew Nag was very clear about what he wanted to do.  As was expected, he penned and executed the film in a remarkable manner.  

There were many reports about who would be cast as Savitri.  Eventually, the role went to Keerthy Suresh.  Whose idea was it?

We did consider so many girls and conducted a lot of auditions. But once Nag mooted Keerthy’s name, we cogitated over the proposal.  We did have second thoughts, given that she is relatively new to the industry.  Once we cast her, we were confident.  Having watched the final copy, we must say Keerthy has done a phenomenal job!

We heard that Nag Ashwin spent more than a year learning about Savitri's life.  He spoke to many people, jotted down unknown facts.  How did the journey go?

The research process included learning from diverse sources.  From videos to books, we had to visit and revisit them all.  Nag spoke to Savitri garu's children, learned new things from her, and included their insights in the script.  

When her children watched the movie, they were excited beyond words.  We could see they got emotional on watching the biopic.  

How would you review Nag Ashwin’s directorial vision and performance?

Nag is passionate as a filmmaker.  As a creator, he has got a grand vision. He believes in telling emotion-driven stories.  

With 'Mahanati', you have proved beyond doubt that you dare to think big! As young producers, what do you seek to do in future?  

We seek to do quality cinema. Box Office prospects alone don't matter.  We want to bring out films that will be cherished for long!