P.C. Shekar, a Bangalore boy passionate about filmmaking made his directorial debut with “Kadhale En Kadhale” a triangle in Tamil. The film did not do well but fetched a State award for portraying women in good light. Awards adorn dusty showcases but are news where business is concerned. Prospective producers are only concerned about how much money the film raked in. After a lull Shekar launched a Kannada film titled “By 2 Coffee” a typical Bangalore term. It was planned as a peppy campus romp with his pal Naveen playing hero and introduced Ragini Dwivedi. Sadly, before he could start shooting Shekar suffered a near fatal accident. Shekar shelved the film and after his recovery started “Nayaka” a love story with action starring the same pair.
“Nayaka” had the necessary ingredients and the slick promos created waves with many big stars raving about it. Today enticing audiences into theatres is a daunting job especially if you don't have established marquee names. Inexperience in marketing and the ruthless ways the distribution network works spelt the death knell for the film though it garnered good reviews. Luckily failure spurred Shekar to work harder. Things are looking brighter. Shekar is ready with his next script, “Romeo”. Ganesh who was impressed with “Nayaka” loved the script of “Romeo” and agreed to star in the film immediately.
“Ganesh suits the role perfectly. In fact, I wrote the script with him in mind but was apprehensive about whether he'd agree,” says a rejuvenated Shekar. His close friend, Naveen who starred in both his previous films turns producer with this film. “The film talks about love before and after marriage,” says Shekar. I immediately mention ‘Alai Payudhey'. “Well my treatment and perspective will be based on my experiences and those close to me. I'm in no way comparing myself with Mani Sir.” Bhavan last seen in ‘Jackie' is the heroine while Rangayana Raghu and Sadhu Kokila play important roles.
“My screenplay is ready. Every shot is in my mind right down to the costumes and the background,” says a confident Shekar. “The failure of ‘Nayaka' has taught me the importance of a slick screenplay. Good packaging is a value addition.”
The phenomenal success of the most puerile film in recent times, “Ready” has flabbergasted film critics and trade pundits.
A popular daily even deemed it fit to write an editorial about Salman Khan and the gargantuan success of the film without naming him. How can a film with an all brawn, no brains star strutting around with nothing but a condescending smirk mouthing unfathomably banal lines succeed?
The film is the remake of a Telugu hit but the director proudly proclaims he's twisted the entire plot to suit North Indian audiences. Salman Khan is on a roll. He knows this phase is ephemeral and wants to make the most of it. He never claims to be cerebral like Aamir Khan or seductive like Shahrukh. Salman is the flavour of the season.
It's entirely a personal choice whether we want to watch him or not. The most futile exercise will be trying to dissect his success!
S. Shiva Kumar, sshivu@yahoo.com
