'Real subjects are thrilling'
Director Suman Kittur's stories are drawn from real life happenings. Her first film Slum Bala and her second one Kallara Santhe were also steeped in reality. The former dealt with the slums and the latter with corruption.
And now her latest film, Yedegarike, meaning guts is woven around a real incident that took place when two underworld dons were active.
Talking about the film, Suman explains that the film revolves around a young man, a supari killer who comes on an assignment to Bangalore from Mumbai.
"This young man faces a threat to his life and he chooses to die with dignity, rather than run away from the threat. He faces death with guts. That's the crux of the story. I am not making a judgement about the underworld or their activities, the story is about this young man and what he believes in," Suman tells Metrolife.
Suman says that there's a certain thrill in working on real subjects, "I was impressed with the story of a boy who came to Bangalore and his determination to face death with dignity. I took two years to write the script and we have added a lot of fictional elements to the story but we've made sure we haven't meddled with the real thing," she says.
About her choice of actor Aditya to play the role of a boy, Suman says, "Aditya was just perfect for the character. He has a tough exterior but there's a tinge of vulnerability about him. He never gets too excited or angry. He doesn't portray any extreme emotions. He's quite controlled but you can read the expression and understand his emotions. This is precisely what I wanted for the role," she observes.
What's interesting is that there are no songs in the movie. Wouldn't that be boring?
"The story is written in a way that it wouldn't be boring and the audience won't really miss the songs and exotic locations. The story justifies why we haven't used any songs," notes Suman. The cast comprises Dharma, Atul Kulkarni and Akanksha.
Nina C George
A new director in town
Joining the brigade of actors-turned-directors is Ravi Teja, who has worked in many films and popular television serials. The actor will soon make his debut as a director in a movie called 'Biscuit'.
In colloquial language, the word 'biscuit' is used as slang to trick somebody or to capture a person's attention. The young director says that the movie will be a complete entertainer and will appeal to a vast section of society.
"I am excited to take up this project. In my 12 years as an actor, I have learnt so much from all my directors. Through this film, I will be applying all the knowledge I have gained from them," he adds. While most actors who turn directors prefer to act in the lead role of a movie, Ravi has casted Chetan Chandra and Aishwarya Nag in the lead in 'Biscuit'. "The script really suited Chetan and moreover, I would like to concentrate on the direction for this film," states Ravi.
Talking about the movie itself, Ravi says that it revolves around a situation that takes place in one day. "So who is going to put 'biscuit' for whom, under what circumstances, is the crux of the film," says Ravi. The shoot will commence in first week of October. 'Biscuit' is produced by Ramaswamy K of Nam Areyal Ondina and Ninade Nenapu fame. Manikanth Khadri is scoring the music while Jai Anand is cameraman.
Man's best friend in focus
There's a new on-screen pair in town. Gandinagar is abuzz with the news of Doodh Peda Diganth and Malayalam actress Bhamaa pairing up for the first time in Shekhar's Barfi. And before anyone jumps to any conclusions, the movie has nothing to do with the Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz-starrer Barfi!.
The title and the genre of the film are the only things that are similar, says director Shekhar. "Until few days ago, I didn't even know there was a Bollywood movie made in that name. I have registered this title nearly four months ago and the story is completely different from that movie," says Shekhar, who adds that he isn't anticipating any sort of trouble with the makers of the Hindi film over the title.
The movie, however, is a romantic drama that revolves around a man and his best friend — in this case, the hero's pug, Barfi. A few months ago, Radhika Kumaraswamy had produced a movie 'Lucky', in which she portrayed her heroine's love for a dog. Shekhar dismisses this similarity as well. "Here, the hero of the film is the dog itself," explains Shekhar.
The leading man, Diganth, too admits that he is excited about the project. "I have always wanted to work with Shekhar and have even told him so. When he came with the script, I immediately liked it and felt it would be a great role to portray," he says. While Diganth will play the role of a software engineer, the female protagonist Bhamaa will be seen in a modern look. "Bhamaa is a wonderful and talented actress. And she is very popular here in Sandalwood. But in this film, one will get to see a whole new side to the actress," says Shekhar.
The team is busy shooting in the City and will soon move onto other locations outside the state as well.
Megha Shenoy