Suneel Kumar Reddy’s next film (untitled) is set for April release. Like his earlier films, will this be an issue-based too? “All my films are made with a strong topic and I believe that cinema needs to have some functional use. It should deal with something and be part of a social discussion. In an evolving society, film and media should be participatory elements. I had initially narrated this script to Raja during the making of Sontha Vooru . Lot of things have changed in between.”
This film has a story moving between a paramedic girl and a radio jockey; the girl happens to be a daughter of a bomb blast victim. It’s basically an emotional journey of a teenager. It is touted to be a big film with a small message.”
As we listen to the director’s narration, we realise it resembles Samuthirakani’s Jenda Pai Kapi Raju and a Malayalam film Traffic . The director denies it and says it is not about a character aiming for a utopian society. “A small change, a small movement or a thought process can make the difference. My contention is there are more people dying on the roads due to carelessness than on the border; this can be averted. Most of the vices around us can be dealt with by making small changes within ourselves. Be it ambulances not reaching on time or road accident, traffic sense, immediate concern on the bystander etc….I am not getting preachy, just mirroring society around us.”
He adds, “If we make a small shift in our priorities and our needs, change can happen. This is just a part of my film, it is not a total cinema. It is a story of people, it is also an emotional journey of an unwed-would-be mother.”
Isn’t he putting too many eggs into one basket? “I’m not over ambitious, I have a straight line narration and am not deviating anywhere to add masala. I’m very clear about what I want to say.”
