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Best film and best director award for Aa Dinagalu
People's expectations scary: Chaitanya
Aa Dinagalu, the critically acclaimed as well as the commercially successful Kannada film, has won two awards for best film and best director, at the 55th Tiger Balm Filmfare Awards ceremony held in Chennai. Sharing his joy with TWB, a beaming director KM Chaitanya exulted, saying the film would have won two more awards for best cinematography (camera man Venu) and best editing (Haridas KGF) if there were awards announced under these categories. Son of famous writer Marulasiddappa, Chaitanya is one of the hottest new wave directors in Kannada. Excerpts from an interview:
• Congratulations on getting the Best Director and Best Film Award for your very first film you directed. Did you ever imagine at the time of shooting the film that it would win a State award?
It's a great honour. Honestly, the thought of the film bagging an award never crossed my mind. However, what is more surprising than even the award is the overwhelming response we got for the film. Aa Dinagalu was bereft of the conventional formula elements that define commercial cinema - fights, dances, item numbers and so on. Yet it ran to packed houses for over 150 days. I am ever grateful to the people of Karnataka for recognizing and rewarding our efforts.
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Kishore Joseph (right), Publisher, This Week Bangalore and Member, BJP Minority Morcha, congratulating Chaitanya, director of Aa Dinagalu for bagging the best director and best film award. |
• What according to you is the film's USP: Story, direction or acting?
In my opinion a good film is a result of team effort. Aa Dinagalu is an example of the entire team working together and giving its best. Those who liked the film could not single out only one aspect for praise. Story, direction, acting, camera work, editing, music - everything worked perfectly.
• From here people's expectations will be very high from you. Do you see this as a plus point or a minus point?
Well, I have to admit the expectations are scary. It will take a huge effort to live up to it. I hope I can keep the faith.
•You are among the new breed of creative and talented directors in Kannada. Who is your favorite director, your role model, if any?
My guru Girish Karnad taught me all I know about film making. I learnt not just film making but also my perception of cinema from him. The Italian directors who transformed Hollywood - Sergio Leone, Coppola and Tarantino - are my favorites.
• Nowadays a lot of films in Kannada are either based on crime or real life criminals. Is this a good or an unhealthy trend and how much the success of Aa Dinagalu is responsible for this?
If films on the underworld glorify violence, like most other films do, the trend is bad. When we set out to make Aa Dinagalu, my producer and writer Agni Sridhar, told me that he wants to make a film that de-mystifies the underworld and humanizes the gangsters. That was our attempt. People appreciated Aa Dinagalu because it was not violent and gory like most other films on the underworld.
• Tell us something about your forthcoming films.
My next film is a love story. It takes place in a small coastal town in Karnataka from where the story moves to Bangalore and then to Mumbai. Chetan, the lead actor of Aa Dinagalu will play the lead in this film as well. The same team from Aa Dinagalu - Ilayaraja (music), H.C. Venu (cinematography) and Haridas (editing) will be in my next film. I've not finalized the complete cast yet.
• What was the budget of Aa Dinagalu and how much profit did it make?
You'll have to ask this question to the producers! But from my calculation, the film cost around a crore and a half rupees.
•How do you go about accepting a film for direction? Do you go by the big banner behind it, the story idea, the stars in the film, the price offered, etc?
The story first, because good stories make successful films. And of course, the price!
• Nowadays there are too many young and new faces coming up in Kannada films, almost every week or so. While fresh talent is welcome, there is a negative side to it also. You can't offer a lead role to a new face without any previous talent whatsoever. Acting, like other professions, also needs some experience. Your comment.
In my opinion, an actor or a director should spend time, working with different experienced directors, technicians and actors before plunging into an independent film. Some years ago, Kannada cinema went through the "parallel cinema" wave. While some of them were good, many were too high brow and cerebral. We had writers, poets, artists, thinkers, all donning the director's cap. The result was that they scared away audience from good cinema. Now we are seeing a similar trend in popular cinema. Since there is a lot of money flowing from real estate coffers, a whole bunch of half baked talent has been unleashed on the Kannada audience. Be it acting or direction, one needs to learn these skills.
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