Jailhouse rock
M.L. NARASIMHAM
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: After a 10-year hiatus, director M. K. Thyagarajan is taking a shot at a terror flick.
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SCREEN BONDING Akash and Keerthi Chawla during a scene.
The classrooms of a private school in Moolapeta have been converted into prison cells for the crucial sequence of Veta, a bilingual (Tamil Vetai), produced by K. Ramanjaneyulu. The action flick being shot in Nellore has Akash and Keerthi Chawla in the lead and is directed by M. K. Thyagarajan of City Police fame.
Akash sports a prisoner's uniform and is his charming best in an otherwise dreadful setting to befriend a fellow prisoner (played by newcomer Praveen) whose looks betray his emotions. There are about hundred junior artistes, some dressed as prisoners while other don police uniforms. The assistant director places the clap board in front of the actors and once the camera rolls, Akash delivers his rehearsed lines that were read out to him before the shot by the co-director.
After the success of Anandam, Akash is still waiting for a big hit. He is confident that this time around he will deliver. "We are confident too," smiles Ramanjaneyulu. "For the first time, Akash is cast in a full length action flick. The rushes clearly show that the macho star has arrived. He is sure to bedazzle the audience with the fight sequences so innovatively composed by veteran `Super' Subbrayan," the producer continues.
"Director Thyagarajan, like our cinematographer Imaya Varma, is an alumnus of Madras Film Institute. He made a few films for AVM Productions. An uncompromising filmmaker his last film City Police (dubbed from the Tamil Maa Nagara Kaavalan) released a decade ago, ran for over hundred days. And after ten years he is resurfacing with another police story, Veta.
After a five-minute tea break, the shoot continues. From a distance, the producer who is also an actor in television serials, talks about the scene. "Praveen is a terrorist who sneaks into the country. He is caught and jailed. The hero, a CBI officer, enters the prison as a rowdy-sheeter to befriend him and learn the details about his group and its leaders (played by Mansoor Ali Khan and Anandraj as his brother). Before this shot, we have canned an action sequence on fight-master Dalapathi Dinesh (who plays a cameo as a Police Inspector) and Akash on the streets. And the present scene will be followed by an action scene between Akash and Praveen. From beginning till end there are many interesting duels between the terrorists and the hero. He plays mind games too besides using his brawn."
An ace tennis player in the film, Keerthi Chawla is the daughter of the Chief Minister (played by `Costume' Krishna). While returning home after a match, she spots Mansoor Ali Khan planting a bomb, and he notices her too.
"From then on, threats follow her. Akash is appointed as a security officer to protect her. That's how the lead pair came in contact in the story," narrates Ramanjaneyulu.
Deva has composed the five songs. "We may go in only for three to keep with the pace. We did not have full-length action films that make the adrenalin go up. Our film does that,"even as he completes the sentence a dust storm sweeps the place. The director senses the right atmosphere to shoot the next one - a stunt scene between the hero and the villain.
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