4 August 2022
Hyderabad
Ahead of the release of his ambitious Sita Ramam, Hanu Raghavapudi spoke to idlebrain.com exclusively about the film’s genesis, collaborating with Dulquer, his writing process, his last, Padi Padi Leche Manasu’s BO performance, his wish of directing NTR and much more…
One would’ve expected a filmmaker of Hanu Raghavapudi’s repute to follow up a romantic drama like Padi Padi Leche Manasu with a new genre but his next, Sita Ramam, falls in the romantic category as well. Put that to him and he says, “Sita Ramam is not just a love story; it’s more than that. It is set on a large canvas and as it unfolds, it will take you by surprise. The audience will be in for a shock seeing the film at many places. It’s a story that has been in my mind since 2007. I would have done it at any given point. As a story, I like it immensely and it’s just that after one love story, it has fallen in place.”
So, how did he handle the box office failure of PPLM? “To be frank, I did feel bad. Initially, I didn’t understand why it didn’t do well but over a period of time I realized that I should have established Sai Pallavi’s health condition very early. It would’ve given the role empathy. But to generate screenplay interest I didn’t disclose it. For that story, it wasn’t the right thing to do,” he observes.
As of now, he is looking forward to the release of Sita Ramam, which debuts in the cinema halls in a few hours from now. It was leading producer Swapna Dutt’s interest in his kind of cinema that brought them together. “She wanted to make a film with me ever since Andala Rakshasi opened. And I’ve always been in touch with her. After PPLM, we decided it was time to join forces. When I narrated the idea of Sita Ramam, she was spellbound. Everything started immediately from thereon. The thing with her is that she is a quick thinker and quick decision maker,” he recalls, adding that an unopened inland letter from a book he purchased from Koti, Hyderabad in 2007—immedaitley after Okkadunnadu released— that triggered him to pen Sita Ramam. It was from a mother to a son who is living in a hostel. She was enquiring about his well-being and wanted to know when he would be visiting her. “I felt it was a strong story point. What if it had something which was significant? Whenever I had time, I used to think about it. I could complete it structurally over time. After PPLM, one Rajkumar joined me as an assistant and he was one who suggested why not set it in an army backdrop, during a discussion. I found it interesting and worked on it more. Later another assistant Samar joined and the story grew to a different level altogether.”
Dulquer Salmaan will be seen as Lieutenant Ram, an orphan, serving the country in the drama, marking him reteaming with Swapna again after his outstanding turn in Mahanati. But then he isn’t a Telugu hero and doesn’t have a fixed market yet. Wasn’t Hanu worried about it because everything boils down to the market in the industry, right? “Swapna was never concerned about such things. The film was shot within market viability. We completed it in 104 days, shooting within the budget as well. The story required certain elements at any cost to get that feel and we had to spend over there. You can see it reflected on the screen tomorrow. As far as Dulquer is concerned, there were no other options than him. The story was tailor-made for him. From his smile and innocence, you’ll see a new Dulquer,” Hanu promises.
For the lead actress role, which took Hanu almost three months to finalize, he was particular on a new face. He didn’t want an established name because they bring a certain baggage, which the role didn’t require. “The prerequisite was a fresh face and at the same time a terrific performer. It’s a deadly combination. It was Swapna who suggested Mrunal Thakur’s name,” he reveals.
Collaboration with Dulquer, Hanu marvels, was “mind-blowing”. “He is an extremely creative person. If a director faces an obstacle on location, he would give you 100 options in a creative way to overcome it. When I met him for the first time, I was awestruck by his smile. And when he gave the first shot, I felt Lieutenant Ram was in his safe and secure hands. Every day he took me by surprise with his skills. He conveyed a gamut of emotions through his silence and at times I even chopped off dialogues as his silence sealed the deal. I believe nobody can hold silence as great as he does,” he rhapsodizes.
The lead pair aside, the film boasts of an eclectic cast comprising Sumanth, Rashmika Mandanna, Gautham Menon and Tharun Bhascker. To a question on how challenging it was at the script level to balance supporting roles with that of the lead roles, Hanu added, “I didn’t have to balance their roles (Sumanth and Rashmika) keeping in mind their image because in the script itself, they were strong parts. I took it as a challenge to develop the second half as good as the first half. I depended on the screenplay and momentary interest to achieve it. It is the reason why every moment of the film will surprise you. It will also trigger innate emotions like softness and innocence if you watch it.”
A period drama comes with its own set of challenges and Hanu states that the biggest challenge he came across was to discover “human emotions were between high ranking officials and their juniors in the army back in 1960s”. “It took time to crack such questions as a part of the research,” he notes, adding that he met many people for the purpose.
While his success ratio is poor, Hanu is considered to be one of the best creative writers of this generation. Speaking about his writing process, he explains that he is a non-linear writer who doesn’t go with the flow. “I don’t write in an organized structure. I may get a take off in the first half… then I check the middle and crack a scene there. After a structure is formed, I reorganize it and later build the screenplay,” he points out. So, how long does he take to complete a screenplay? “It depends on the story and its complexities. If it’s a visible conflict like a villain, it will be wrapped up pretty soon. But if it’s an invisible conflict like inner conflicts which come from within the character, it takes time.”
People close to him believe that his strong suit is action but his resume so far is filled with mostly romantic dramas. Does he feel bad on not doing an action film after Lie? The question draws a smile as he avers, “I am planning (an action film). There are stories that you like and there are stories that you make... But ultimately at the end of the day, it’s a film, right? I’m pretty much happy with whatever I’ve done so far. But there is a desire to do an action film and I will do it.”
Four-five years ago, Hanu was in the running to helm Akhil Akkineni for an action-thriller but the project failed to take flight. Spelling reasons on what transpired, he discloses, “I had a commitment with production house 14 Reels and they didn’t like the story I narrated to Akhil. At that time, they had dates of Nithiin, so I went with him (for Lie). I still have that story with me and I will do it for sure. It’s an action-thriller.”
Likewise, he also met Jr NTR multiple times, pitching some of his ideas. Smiling wide, he notes, “I’m his big fan. I narrated a story to him much before my debut. He even liked it but it didn’t work out. Had Andala Rakshasi fared well at the box office, my second film would’ve been with NTR garu. I would like to work with him one day. I would like to narrate a story that he likes. My stories don’t cater to his image, so I have to work on them. Like the action film desire, I want to do a film with him as well.”
It’s been close to a decade since he made his debut as a director and moving forward, he wants to be associated with producing content as well. “There are stories which I like immensely. I sent them to people I know but somehow they didn’t materialize. I want to see those stories come alive on the screen. Let’s see! If my finances support those stories, definitely I will be a part of such stories,” he concludes.
-NAGARAJ GOUD
