‘Dreams’, the 219 film of comedy and character artiste Rajendra Prasad that hit barely half-a-dozen screens in the twin cities, comes across as one where everyone in the team has done their best to come out with a film that is different across different parameters.
That director K. Bhavanishankar has pulled off a film that has the protagonist suffering from a rare mental condition called ‘Hypnogogue Delusions’.
In simple terms, the hero is unable to distinguish between his dreams and his everyday life for real.
Defined by the director as a ‘cult thriller; with a unique screenplay, the evil, negative thoughts of the former Army Major that are suppressed in his subconscious, manifest themselves in his dreams. The film is all about a journey into his mind.
Bhavanishankar was noticed with his short film ‘I vote for …’ that bagged the critics’ national award in 2009.
Quite unlike the usual crop of filmmakers who get caught in the quagmire of commercial films, this guy was very clear about being branded as a creative, innovative and serious director with a strong message.
Rajendra Prasad has outdone himself and the long moments of silence in ‘Dreams’ actually make the viewer think like the protagonist. “It is interesting to note that my silence really speaks in this film,” he said, praising the young Bhavanishankar, when asked about the long bouts of silence.
It is a film that was literally canned in a fortnight that included seven days and eight nights. ‘Dreams’ has Jayashree who has done some Malayalam and Tamil films, an upcoming ramp model Pavani Reddy and Deepthi of ‘Thimmaraju’ fame in sizeable roles. Ask him about the technicalities and a modest Bhavanishankar says it was a tough job matching the colour of frames with the dreams they signified - red for revenge, yellow for cowardice and blue for spirituality, to name a few.
It is interesting to note the slim line between dreams and reality getting so blurred that it becomes tough even for the viewer to discern which is which.
Cinematography by Rawi Cumar Neerula from the Satyajit Ray Institute and slick editing by B.P. Reddy deserve special mention, as does the mix of music by Rajesh.
Suffice it to say that most of the crew are relatively new in the highly-competitive and creative world of entertainment.
