13 June 2024
Hyderabad

Could you share us a bit about background?
I’ve settled in the US for the past 16 years. I’ve been working for an international IT company. It is my college dream to make a film. During COVID-19 pandemic, I realized that things were not looking good and that I have to fulfill my dream. I had a couple of scripts by then. Whenever I came to India, my friends used to ask me when I am going to make a film. I cracked a good story point in 2019. The journey started from there. I wrote the complete script in the US; in fact I’ve done the pre-production too there itself. I came back to India in October 2021 and got the script registered.

What made you dabble in production as well with Indrani?
As a director, I didn’t possess any prior experience. The film is India’s first superhero woman film and it is laden with a lot of VFX. I quickly realized that no big production house would support me, so I decided to produce it myself. Some of my friends from the US supported me. We started the shoot in April 2022 and completed the film in December 2022. I’ve took one-and-a-half year for the post-production because the film had a large number of VFX shots.

What is the genesis behind Indrani story?
There was an incident which happened in 2018 in India. It’s a major one, which we will reveal in the film. India reacted to it in a certain way and people were happy and cheered for it. I thought what would be India’s reaction if any other country reacted to India the way India reacted. Is India prepared to handle that situation? I’ve asked that question myself and started developing the story. The story’s span became big. To solve the problem, super heroes had to come; an organization had to be set up by the prime minister’s office etc etc.

What can you share about the film?
It’s all about the emotional journey of a super woman (played by Yaaneea Bharadwaj). I went very realistically on how a super hero arrives. There are two forms of super heroes– one is a mythological angle and other is a scientific/technical angle. I’ve chose the latter. For the film, I conceived an organization called Indian Super Force (ISF) which is set in the future. R&D (time machines, robotics and advanced technology) is pumped into it. Super soldiers were developed from the advanced technology and were given the state-of-art technology to fight enemies. ISF controls the geopolitics and international relations of the world. When such an organization faces an existential threat, the super woman (Yaaneea) has to travel back in time, find a solution and go back to the future to save the world.

Did you engage in any research as such for the project?
I didn’t require undertaking any research but the major challenge was the VFX because the film has 1,600 such shots. The super woman has an AI-generated robot on her shoulder. The robot is her philosopher; it commands, guides and controls her. It is an advanced robot and it had 270 shots. We developed its 3D model from the scratch, ensured that it’s lip-sync and expressions were on point. Similarly we have talking time machines. The film starts off with a black bird episode and it lasts seven minutes. We designed it in 3D world, while we shot super woman’s portions in the green mat. It was a very big challenge. After completing two schedules, I tried to get the VFX done here In India but it didn’t work out well. Time and quality were not matching out. For 10 shots alone, it was taking four months. I later completed the shoot, went back to the US and started my own VFX Company and engaged with a lot of international studios and freelancers to get the VFX done. Overall, I’ve got the 1,600 shots completed in a span of 18 months.

The film seems to have a heavy Marvel hangover…?
I can assure you that you will not see any Marvel hangover. This is a complete mass Marvel movie. We wanted to have desi superheroes and they are funded by the government here unlike the Marvel heroes who are private operators. We are coming with an angle that government of India needed superheroes to handle international issues going forward so that they can support their army, navy and air force. Marvel heroes have their own superpowers. They are recognized by the powers they possess. In Indrani, the superheroes have same powers as they come from one organization which is Indian Super Force. Every human has a different personality based on which his identity will be recognized. The superheroes identity will come from their personality– the way they behave, speak and think. Indrani’s costume has an Ashoka Chakra on it and she is extremely patriotic. Marvel films generally do well in ‘A’ centres and multiplexes. So I was like, ‘How do I penetrate Indrani into ‘B’ and ‘C’ centres?’ The storyline was prepared taking all these factors into thought. The class audience will connect with the future segment of the film, while the present segment, with an item song, party song and an emotional song, is a written and directed in a way that it will resonate more with the masses.

The experience of making this film, what has it taught you?
Before coming to the industry, I did film distribution in the US. I understand the business model and I know the risk. I was aware of the problems I was going to face before making the film. There’s no buyer for Indrani and I’m releasing it on my own in the Telugu states and in the US. It’s a challenge and I was prepared for it. When we are coming with a new set of ideas, it’s risky for the producers and the distributors. I learnt a lot and I’m still learning. Before I started shooting, I went to NYFA (New York Film Academy) for a couple of weeks to attend a script writing workshop. I wanted to know if I was missing something. By then the script of Indrani was in place. While I don’t have any filmmaking experience, I had the experience of working as a project manager for 15 years. That came in handy to pump my ideas strongly into others brains. Because of my work experience, I could make the film. On sets there were problems but it was a learning every day. Eventually I managed to make the film in a limited time and in a limited budget without compromising on the VFX, music, dubbing and dialogue. I don’t have any regrets.

How does it feel now that the release is hours away? And where do you go from here?
It’s a big relief (laughs). My wife can finally say, ‘Come back to the US’. Within hours the audience, the producers and directors of the industry will know how I think. I can relax for two-three months before I take up part 2. One bucket list is done. Fortunately I was given from work from home after the pandemic, so I could manage my job in the US, while making the film. Many people have come from the US, resigning from their jobs to make films in India. I hope my journey will be encouraging for aspiring filmmakers in the US who want to make a film but for different reasons can’t. ‘I did it’, that means they can also do it. If there is a will, there will be way. I proved it. Of course there were problems back at office but I was able to manage it.

In the West, superhero films are quite common. In Hindi, it’s catching up slowly. In Telugu, where do we stand?
HanuMan was a blockbuster. Audiences are craving for new content. If you attempt superhero films, then storylines will automatically change and you will give the audience new stories. But as makers we have to ensure that stories go into the masses as well not just ‘A’ centres. If you do it correctly and convincingly, there is no limit for the superhero stories for at least next five years.

Who are your filmmaking inspirations?
I’ve grown up watching and loving films. I could dare to do Indrani because of SS Rajamouli. He made impossible possible. He took a Telugu film to the international shores. He broke all barriers of filmmaking. Baahubali-The Beginning was fraught with risk but in the end it revolutionized everything. It changed the thought-process of the entire Indian film industry.