The Hindu : New Delhi News : Making films that only he makes

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Making films that only he makes

On his terms: Nagesh Kukunoor has carved a niche in the Hindi film industry by adopting a different approach towards filmmaking.

Nagesh Kukunoor left behind his engineering career as he had a mad desire to tell stories. Madhur Tankha explores more about his brand of filmmaking….

Nagesh Kukunoor left a full-fledged career in engineering to make a mark for himself in Bollywood because he loves weaving tales and narrating them in a lucid way.

The talented filmmaker mostly writes his own script and then does necessary research work to give proper treatment to his subject. “As a director I make it a point to ensure that there are no inaccuracies and stick to basic facts. My film ‘ ;Aashayein’ starring John Abraham is about to release in theatres. One of the characters in the film has been shown as a HIV positive person but it is just co-incidental that I am supporting the campaign for passing the HIV/AIDS Bill in Parliament.”

Another upcoming film “Yeh Hausla” of his is on how technology plays a role in rural India. “Unless the story doesn’t grab you, there is no point in making a film. Otherwise the film will fall by the wayside. I take notice of different people I come across and make a mental note of incidents. As I am comfortable with Hindi, I prefer making Hindi films rather than in my mother tongue (Telugu).”

Having seen both the Hindi film industry and Hollywood filmmakers from close range and understood the positives and the negatives of both, Nagesh seems to have been bowled over by the filmmaking craft and subjects of the latter.

“While in Bollywood we make films on restricted material, Hollywood has phenomenally larger variety in terms of different genres of filmmaking. My debut film ‘Hyderabad Blues’ was on non-resident Indians but that doesn’t mean that I will make another one on the same subject. As of now I don’t feel like making a film on current incidents like the way Indians are being attacked in Australia.”

His moment of triumph came when Bollywood reigning superstar Akshay Kumar gave his nod to play the protagonist in “8 X 10 Tasveer”.

“Akshay is just like any other actor. His real strong point is his ability to perform every daredevil action scene with perfection. He is truly amazing in such intimidating scenes. As for the charge that Akshay dictates scenes to directors, I always hear such stories with every actor I intend to take. However, during shooting I realised that all such stories are mere speculation. It depends on how you set the ground rules. In the first week, both the actor and filmmaker gauge each other and then hit a common ground. I have my ground rules that my scripts cannot be tampered with and I am in final control.”

“8 x 10 Tasveer” did not create ripples at the box-office and the filmmaker isn’t personally satisfied with how his movie ultimately shaped up. “Marketing is the key mantra to create hype and hoopla around a film. But this film was marketed very poorly. The media lambasted it and to make the situation worse multiplex and filmmakers were at loggerheads,” says Nagesh, who is known for films like “Iqbal” and “Bollywood Calling”.

Nagesh says he did not study engineering for adding more qualification to his curriculum vitae. “After graduating from high school, I studied chemical engineering at Osmania University in Hyderabad. I moved to Atlanta where I completed my Masters degree in the same subject. It took me a while to build up courage to become a filmmaker. I had this mad desire to tell stories.”

As a youngster growing up in the city of Charminar, Nagesh was hooked to Bollywood films. “I watched mostly Amitabh Bachchan’s movies. Actually it was a combination of Hollywood and Bollywood films. I was influenced by Indiana Jones type of movies. Even ‘Dirty Harry’ starring the charismatic Clint Eastwood excited me.”

As a sensitive filmmaker, Nagesh is supporting the campaign to pass the HIV/AIDS Bill in Parliament. “We have to create more awareness about the epidemic in the country so that the stigma attached to the disease is removed. The Government needs to step in to get the Bill passed in Parliament. My heart melts for underprivileged children suffering from the disease because their parents were HIV positive. So it is a double whammy for them. ”

Nagesh is glad that the Delhi High Court has decriminalised gay sex. “It is a welcome decision,” he says.

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