31 July 2014
Hyderabad
National award winning director Neelakanta needs no introduction. He has been doing different films in recent years, but didn’t register a commercial success. He says that Maaya film that deals with a niche concept like ESP is dealt in such a way that it connects emotionally to an average movie lover. Here is idlebrain.com’s exclusive interview with Neelakanta -
You had an exciting run as a director from Show to Missamma. But you didn’t strike chord with common movie lover after that. Whats the reason?
There has been different commercial drawbacks with different films. Sada Mee Sevalo is about a couple getting married in the early part of film. The Telugu movie lovers don't like lead couple getting married so early. Mr. Medhavi is an okay film. I got appreciation from the corporate sector. Nandanavanam 120km is one of my best efforts in my personal opinion. It’s a dark film and movie lovers didn’t connect with it. I made Virodhi when naxalism was fading away in AP. If I had made Virodhi in Bollywood, it would have worked as it’s relevant in Indian scenario (red corridor area). Chammak Challo is not my cup of tea as I tried to be somebody else.
Tell us about genesis of Maaya?
I scripted this story in 1996. This script was about to be materialized three times and was called off. There are a couple of south indian films (like Iyer the great) that came long back and were commercially successful. Hollywood films like Final Destination, Now, Knowing and Gift affirmed that a concept with ESP can work at box office.
Maaya is a film that deals with ESP. Why do you need songs in it?
Songs are the best part of the film. I didn’t keep songs in a way that disturbs the flow. Songs are part of narration. Songs are conveying an emotion. There is a love story in this film. There is a romantic angle to story and it should be highlighted with songs. The tautness is maintained well inspite of having songs.
You had many previews for industry. How is the reaction?
I invited lots of writers and directors for previews of Maaya. And all of them have liked the film. They have voluntarily posted positively about Maaya in their twitter and facebook accounts. It’s giving me a lot of happiness. Half the battle is won as industry has genuinely accepted it.
People who watched the film said that the second half is very gripping. Thats because, I used first half to stage the story and second half to unleash the content.
What is the story of Maaya?
ESP is a vast subject. You may call it clairvoyance, deja vu, telepathy etc. A character in the film has clairvoyance due to which she can perceive some visions. This film is not about blood and gore which we see in films like Final Destination. Maaya has a lot of emotional content in it. There is always a danger lurking. ESP runs in the backdrop, but there is a love story to it. I made a mistake of going all out with concept in Nandanavaram 120km. That’s why I am balancing Maaya in such a way that a common movie lover gets engaged with content without feeling alienated. In Hollywood films too, they have a strong love story content while touching a niche subject so that the film penetrates the mass market.
What about the economics of the movie?
The landing cost of this film is around 3 crores. Madhura Sreedhar is an efficient producer and he made sure that the film is marketed well. We shot the film in 47 working days using a Red Epic camera. Everybody is applauding BalReddy’s camera work. Background score by Sekhar Chandra is haunting. Since hero is a fashion designer, I made sure that film is vibrant and colorful. Production designer of the film is Rama and she has designed a different costume and pallet for Maaya. Babji has done art direction. Madhura Sridhar has done fantastic production and MVK Reddy is a wonderful producer.
Casting:
Since hero is a fashion designer, I wanted a guy who looks debonair and handsome. At the same time, there should be grey shades to his character. Harshavardhan Rane is the perfect choice to it. His casting has added to the depth of character. I am introducing three new girls. Avantika Mishra is doing the prime character. She did it like a seasoned actress. Sushma Raj did a balanced role with flamboyance.
You have highlighted time in posters. Whats the significance?
Time is more like a symbolic representation. The clock represents more about the fate than the time-frame.
What’s your next film?
Let me come out of Maaya first. I haven’t decided about what my next script is going to be.
