Ilayaraja’s studio wears a desolate look when I visit, not because there’s no work but nobody dare disturb when the maestro is composing. The studio is open to visitors but not the prying press, a tribe he’s not very fond of. “Listen to my music. I convey everything through the seven notes,” is his refrain. If you do manage to pin him down he can frustrate you with disinterested monosyllables for answers. There’s Subbiah, his man Friday who screens and decides the ones worthy of a meeting with the diminutive master. Blessed with a pleasant disposition, Subbiah knows how to say no without hurting.
You bump into AMR Ramesh, who’s just launched ‘Game’, a Kannada Tamil bi-lingual starring Arjun, Shaam and Monisha Koirala. He’s producing the film with his childhood chum, Deshraj, a restaurateur who makes his foray into filmdom. “It’s a murder mystery which will have you on the edge,” says the director who’s made films about two of the most dreaded criminals in Indian history. “I was thrilled when Raja sir liked the plot. He doesn’t sign any film that’s offered,” says a beaming Ramesh. Quiz him if it’s based on a true story and he hums and haws. A frequent visitor to courts he clams up and asks me to wait for the film.
Meanwhile, I’m ushered in for a brief audience with Raja. I wonder why detergent manufacturers have not approached him to sell their product! It’s a short break for lunch and Raja enquires how ‘Mythri’ is faring. It’s a film close to his heart. “Giriraj is a nice boy. It should succeed for his sake,” says the man who’s always parsimonious with praise. I’ve seen him admonishing established directors for filming cheesy scenes but only after recording a score that suits the sequence. It’s time to work. A ‘track’ singer is being trained while Sadhana Sargam chats with a friend. One song for Ramesh’s film has already been recorded in the voices of Karthik and Ramya. Another director is waiting to meet the maestro hoping he’ll like his ‘one line’. Time is scarce with Raja scheduled to leave for Hungary. He’ll be recording the background score of the ambitious ‘Rudramadevi’ which will take a fortnight. Ramesh waits for another melody to be recorded. The consistency in quality has waned, but we still wait for the magic of the eighties to be recreated, when words made sense and the tunes still linger.
Director Suri has quietly wrapped up ‘Kenda Sampige’ produced under his own banner, Parimala Pictures and starring newcomers Vicky and Shwetha. The tastefully shot and cut promo has gone viral revealing little but promising a lot. Suri’s favourite Sathya Hegde helms the camera while Harikrishna scores the music. The songs will only appear in the background helping take the plot forward. About a couple of teenagers whose life goes haywire after an unwitting crime is committed the film also stars Rajesh and Prakash Belawadi other than a host of newcomers.
At a press meet recently Suri unveiled the promo and also lamented the lack of promising talent, be it actors or associate directors. Suri decided to provide a platform where aspirants can exhibit their talent by recording whatever they’re good at and sending it for perusal. If approved they may get an opportunity to work in the director’s future projects. It’s a talent bank other directors can source too. After a long delay while the script was being fine-tuned the shooting of ‘Dhod Mane Huduga’ has started with the canning of action sequences. The cast is crowded with stars like Ambareesh who’s acting with Puneet for the first time, Bharathi, Sumalatha, Radhika Pandit and Ravi Shanker. “The script sounds exciting. Anyway, Suri is my favourite director,” says Puneet. Suri, after lying low has suddenly turned prolific. He’s already shot and released the promo of ‘Silent Sunila’ about a dreaded Don who appears as himself. ‘Agni’ Sridhar is the producer. “It’s not about his crimes. It’s about the love story in his life which I found fascinating,” says Suri, who loves portraying the darker side of life. Sunil who’s life is under threat and is guarded by underlings in a seemingly mpenetrable locality has been told to shed weight.
sshivu@yahoo.com
