Ramoji continues to be success story

Vijayeswari Cherukuri, Managing Director, Ramoji Film City, took the reins of the company in her hand at a crucial time and thanks the team of experts around her for making her learn the ropes of the business and the resulting success. Over the next few years, Ramoji Film City is going to see a new 500-room hotel and a future requirement park.

TT Bureau

COVID-19 was destructive to every tourism business, especially adventure and theme parks, which were the last to open when tourism restarted. However, things are recovering well, says Vijayeswari Cherukuri, Managing Director, Ramoji Film City. “We are blessed to be experiencing revenge tourism now. Over 1.3 million tourists visited Ramoji Film City last year. Film shootings are back to pre-COVID times, with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu banners dominating the scene. Wedding season is in full swing. MICE tourism is back to normal,” she shares.

Geared up for 2023

Claiming that they know their customers, she said, “One of the reasons Ramoji Film City has stayed relevant after all these years is the fact that we constantly gauge the pulse of our audience and continuously innovate. After COVID, there is a need for us to be mindful regarding the development of new projects, but having said that, we are on the path to development. Over the next few years, Ramoji Film City is going to see a new 500-room hotel. Then there is the Bala Bharath Park, a future requirement park that we are banking on. We have plans in place for an entertainment and infotainment park. There are more in the pipeline but these few are the ones that we are already working on and will come to fruition in the next couple of years. Ramoji Film City spans around 2,000 acres and while one may think that space is not a dearth here, it’s the opposite. Just because we have the space, it doesn’t mean we can build indiscriminately. There is a need to plan every inch of it with the intention of maximisation. Giving a visitor an enthralling and engaging experience is key here.”

Woman in travel

Commenting on her experience as a woman in the travel industry, she said it has never looked like a difficulty. “It was always a learning path for me. The journey is in understanding various aspects of the industry, knowing what is happening, looking for ways to improve, and acting on the current opportunities available for our destination. It was never a ‘gender problem’ for me at all and I say this with the knowledge that I had immense support from all the experts who were already at Ramoji Film City. They played a huge role in fostering a ‘mentoring’ atmosphere here. Not to mention the guidance I have received from my father-in-law Sri Ramoji Rao himself and, of course, my husband late Cherukuri Suman. To be honest, even if there were attempts to dominate me, I don’t think it registered in my mind,” she claimed.

Cherukuri added that in this industry, gender gaps or gender stereotypes are just a perception. “I think every individual needs to take that ownership and pride to discover and innovate things. Some industries, including the hospitality industry, are innately non-gender biased. You will see both men and women share the same roles with equal weightage — be it a chef or a waiter or house man or even at the front desk. At Ramoji Film City, we insist on fair pay for professional experience, not dependent on gender,” she underlined.

Journey

Elaborating on her journey in the industry, she said, “While I have indirectly been a part of this industry for many years, having had a front-row seat as my father-in-law and husband built the brand that is Ramoji Film City, I took on the mantle of Managing Director when my husband was sick. When I took the role, I admit, I was a novice. So, I made it a point to learn from the experts around me, the experts who those before me placed their trust in. I attended conferences, visited other hotels to learn from them, and studied the operations of each and every department in various star-level hotels. At the same time, I give my managers the space they deserve to run the hotel with the immense knowledge they have and come up with innovative ideas.”

Updates

Sharing their plans, she said, “Aside from the hotels and the existing entertainment facilities we have to offer, we would like to see more events happening here in 2023.”