When ‘Murder 3’ hit the screens recently, Mahesh Bhatt joyfully tweeted, “The only yardstick by which movies are judged the world over, since the birth of cinema is Money. M3 is an overflow film on day one.”
The line was repeated by Telugu film director Krishna Vamsi, talking about his latest ‘Paisa’ starring Nani of ‘Eega’ fame, Catherine Tresa of ‘Chammak Challo’ fame and Siddhika Sharma from New Delhi, produced by Ramesh Puppala under the Yellow Flowers banner.
“As the title indicates, it’s about money and the kind of influence it has on diverse people. Only an action scene and a special song are left to be canned,” he quips.
“Of course, it is an out-and-out commercial film, a crime thriller. On a philosophical note, I have showcased how money impacts different sections of people. My hero gets into a fight over Rs. 500, while the bad guy fights over lakhs of rupees. What happens when their paths cross is what the film revolves around. The comedy is sure to be interesting to the audience, right from the front seats to those sitting in sofas at the back, in multiplex screens,” the director explained.
Mr. Vamsi said he was shooting a nativised version of the French-European game ‘Parkos’ that would be a highlight. In this film, it’s played on rooftops with people chasing a kite worth Rs. 50,000 as it is made of 1000-rupee notes, after it gets cut in a typical ‘patang-ki-pench’. It is followed by a celebration in true Hyderabadi ‘ishtyle’.
Two songs each were shot in Dubai and Malaysia, in deserts, pubs and in urban locales.
“While ‘Khadgam’ evoked a sense of belongingness to the country, here it’s about ‘Paisa’ (money),” he said.
There are scenes that show how political leaders spend tons of money in the elections and how the ‘hawala’ network is leveraged.
