The Paradise actor Remo Raheem expresses 'deep anguish' over shortened role

Telugu actor Remo Raheem has opened up about a scene he filmed for The Paradise that was significantly shortened in the final edit, admitting that watching it get cut caused him “deep mental anguish”. The actor, who appears alongside Nani in the Srikanth Odela-directed film, said the sequence was originally around five to seven minutes long but was reduced because of the film’s length.

Remo shared a video on Instagram featuring a brief portion of the scene, in which he is seen sparring with Nani. The clip is only a glimpse of what he says was a much longer sequence. For an actor, he explained, the disappointment isn't simply about screen time but about seeing work they had invested themselves in disappear during the editing process.

“I have been feeling bad. My truck scene in The Paradise is actually 5-7 minutes long. But due to the film’s length, they had to cut it short,” he said.

In his caption, Remo spoke more openly about what the cut meant to him. He said there is “immense hard work” involved in making a film and that seeing scenes into which an actor has poured their “heart and soul” being removed can be difficult to process. “For an actor, facing such a situation causes deep mental anguish,” he wrote.

But Remo didn't want his disappointment to become a criticism of The Paradise. In fact, he went on to ask viewers to give the film a chance, particularly for the emotion at the centre of its story.

“Let’s put that aside. Did you watch the movie? Did you like it or not? Let me know. Please go watch the film because it's good and has a strong subject: motherly sentiment,” he said.

He also had a message for those picking apart the film's logic. “If you keep looking for logic, no film will satisfy you. Please watch a movie as a movie. Don’t kill cinema, support it,” Remo said, while defending the film against the criticism it has received. He also encouraged audiences to watch it with their families.The Paradise drowns in mixed reviews

His comments come as The Paradise finds itself in the middle of a mixed response. The film released in theatres on September 24 after paid premieres the evening before. While Nani has scored his biggest opening with the film, its reception has been far from unanimous. Some viewers and critics have questioned its familiar saviour trope, even as others have responded to its emotional core.

According to trade website Sacnilk, The Paradise collected Rs 46.25 crore net in India and Rs 76.90 crore gross worldwide, putting its opening ahead of Nani's previous films Dasara, HIT: The Third Case and Saripodhaa Sanivaaram.

Directed by Srikanth Odela, The Paradise is his second collaboration with Nani after Dasara (2023). Nani plays Jadal, with Mohan Babu, Sonali Kulkarni, Kayadu Lohar and Raghav Juyal also starring. .- EndsALSO READ | The Paradise creates box office history for Nani hours before its grand premiere