Producer Pranay Reddy Vanga has given a detailed breakdown of why he believes Hyderabad is a more efficient and cost-effective production base than Mumbai, revealing that making Animal in Bombay cost him 20 to 30 percent more than it would have if the same film had been produced out of Hyderabad. He said the lesson from that experience is one of the reasons Spirit, his next film with Prabhas and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, is being shot entirely from Hyderabad.

“I’d probably spend about 30% more on the same movie if I made Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal from Bombay. Maybe I could save at least 20-30%,” Pranay Reddy Vanga said during an interaction at Honest Townhall. “That is why we’re making Prabhas’ Spirit now from Hyderabad.”

Why Hyderabad is cheaper

The cost difference, Pranay Reddy Vanga explained, comes down to studio space, infrastructure availability and the general cost of doing business. “I’ve seen shooting in Bombay. It’s a bit more expensive than here in studios because of space constraints and all that,” he said. “In Hyderabad, if we want to set up something or arrange a set, we have plans, shots, and everything ready, or we can easily get what we need. There, people volunteer to help because we have respect among filmmakers.”

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The 20-30 percent saving Pranay Reddy Vanga cited for Hyderabad over Mumbai is significant at the scale Bhadrakali Productions operates. Animal was made on a budget of Rs 200 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. A 30 percent saving on that would translate to roughly Rs 60 crore, a figure large enough to fund an entire mid-budget Telugu film. Spirit, starring Prabhas, is reported to have an even larger budget than Animal.

Working hours and production culture

Pranay Reddy Vanga pointed to fundamental differences in how the two industries operate on a daily basis. In Mumbai, he said, productions follow flexible 12-hour shifts. “In Bombay, you can start from 9 AM to 9 PM, 10 AM to 10 PM, or 12 to 12. Any one shift is considered 12 hours of work,” he said. In contrast, the Telugu industry operates on more fixed hours. “Here, we usually work from 7 to 6 or something, maybe till 9 o’clock,” he said, adding that stretching into night shoots in Hyderabad is less common and typically treated as a separate shift.

He also noted that Mumbai productions tend to be more corporate in their structure. “Most corporate companies keep everything on paper, like budgets and control. It’s all a bit formal and documented. You can’t just extend things casually,” he said. “If something goes wrong, the person running the show, like the director, producer, or whichever partner is in charge, they’ll be held responsible for it.”

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Audience culture and star worship

Beyond production logistics, Pranay Reddy Vanga identified a fundamental difference in how audiences in the two markets relate to their stars. “There, the audience is a bit less star-driven compared to here,” he said, referring to Mumbai. “They keep watching, but it’s not like the kind of worship we have here (Telugu market). That’s a major difference.”