Just when you’re despondent and throw your hands up in desperation, there’s a sliver of hope shining brightly. That sliver of hope is Anup Bhandari who has directed ‘RangiTaranga’. It also proves that blaming other language films is a lame excuse for ineptitude. ‘RangiTaranga’ has survived ‘Bahubali’ and ‘Bhajrangi Bhaijan’. It can’t get better than that. Shows have been added and tickets are scarce.
Anup is still scurrying around trying to ensure the lengthy run it deserves. He’s overwhelmed by the warmth the industry has shown him. A passionate Kannadiga, he’s touchy about the negative image Kannada films have garnered. A great fan of Hamsalekha he’s written and scored the music for the songs. Success has still not sunk in; he parries queries with calm and candour.
What is it with techies and movies?
I think anyone who wants to do anything in life should become a techie first.
That’s a new philosophy…
For my generation we had to become an engineer or a doctor first and then pursue our passion.
For how long has this passion been manifesting?
Right from my childhood. When we were not playing cricket, me and my brother would be making imaginary movies. I seriously thought I’d become a filmmaker only when I joined engineering.
Is the short film the new way to test the waters?
It’s not just about testing the waters. It’s about learning to make movies. You learn a lot. You don’t have a budget so you have to be ingenious. It gives you a lot of ideas and also tells you where you went wrong. If it’s good you can present it to a prospective producer.
The easiest way to enter the industry is to work with a director… I agree it’s a learning experience but I wanted to learn from my mistakes. I watched a lot of movies and tried to figure out the director’s approach to the craft.
I don’t have a favourite director but I do admire a lot of Indian filmmakers. There are certain things about Puttanna Kanagal’s films that I really like. He brings out the Kannada essence. Shankar Nag’s ‘Malgudi Days’ is a fine example of simple storytelling that leaves a lasting impression. I’ve grown up watching hardcore commercial films like ‘Prema Loka’. I’d like to blend the styles of Hollywood and Indian filmmaking.
You call your film a ‘romantic mystery thriller’. Isn’t that stuffing too much?
If you take the history of Indian cinema a movie always works when there’s an emotional connection with the audience. There are a few exceptions that have worked but not in a big way. I feel emotions are necessary and I try to build a plot around that.
I think you’ve been very lucky. There’re a lot of people roaming with stories but you get a producer over Skype.
I think that’s one of the luckiest things that happened in my life, meeting Mr. Prakash. I just gave him a ‘one line’ and he was ready. He never interfered after that. All the decisions were mine including the mistakes. We worked really hard and faced difficulties for the release and later for theatres. We’ve been fighting and despite ‘Bahubali’ people are talking about my movie and spreading the word. There was hardly any publicity because it comes at a cost.
What is the genesis of ‘Rangitaranga’? Would you describe it as a ‘whodunnit’ masquerading as a horror film?
It was born out of desperation. I had a few other scripts but needed a bigger budget so I thought I’d shoot a film inside a house. Mystery is the best genre when the space is narrow but it started growing bigger as I wrote. The characters are from my childhood in Puttur. They play an important part. The mystery is my own creation.
Are you also subtly trying to dispel superstition? Not consciously, but I believe more in science and anything that’s tangible. Do you think there’s a polarisation amongst viewers, one for single screens and one for multiplexes?
It depends on the movie. It was initially sluggish, but now collections in the single screens have picked up. The film is running house-full in the single screens as we’re talking. People are hesitant initially to watch a film with newcomers. Word of mouth has helped us immensely.
Every director has this habit of falling in love with whatever he’s shot. Is that what happened to you? Length seems to be the only complaint.
We have reduced the time. I wanted a detailed movie. Three hour movies are accepted in other languages if they’re good. People are talking about the flashback where there’re two songs. It was deliberate and now it’s helped in wooing family audience. I had to think of the dumbest person watching. I didn’t want to confuse the audience by letting them figure things out. Characters are introduced through the songs.
You made the film and found out it’s very difficult to release it.
Everything about filmmaking is difficult. I’d like to make that clear to any aspirant. It’s a lot of sacrifice. Once you feel the hard work is over it gets tougher. Publicity and release are very difficult. People have so much choice. To pull in the audience with unknown faces is extremely difficult and getting theatres too. There’re hurdles even when your film is running successfully.
Now that’s something hard to understand. Do you think there’s a bias against Kannada films?
I’m feeling that. I think the bigger movies have budgets to spend on other things like manipulation. Ticket prices are steep for non-Kannada films so multiplexes earn more. I faced things like my posters not being put up. It would be lying in their storerooms. I don’t know why. They probably feel it’s inferior to display posters of Kannada films.
What next?
I hope to take the film to every village in Karnataka. The film is also having the biggest release for a Kannada film overseas. Once I’m done, I’ll launch my next.
