Ensemble of myriad emotions
M.L. NARASIMHAM
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`Manasu Palike Mouna Ragam' is a meeting point of different thoughts.
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RIVETING MOMENTS Vikramaditya and Sneha in a still from `Manasu Palike Mouna Ragam.'
The private bungalow in a quite alley opposite the popular theme park cum multi-screen facility Mayajaal, in the suburbs of Chennai, is housing a film unit. The shoot is in progress, albeit quietly at 9 p.m. without disturbing the serene surroundings. The only sound that can be heard comes from the generator van parked a few yards away. On the penthouse a man and woman are engrossed in deep conversation as the cool wind from the East Coast Road passes by. He is western in mindset and outlook while she looked every bit traditional. As one nears them, one could gather that they hold contradicting views on love and values of human life.
Conflicting views
At a close look, we find that the man is the debut hero (for Telugu screen) Vikramaditya and the woman is none other than the talented Sneha. And the scene being shot by debutant director K. Nagabhushan is for Sri Dega Arts' second venture, Manasu Palike Mouna Ragam.
Producer Deva Kumar Reddy has a taste for good cinema and has earlier made the successful Ammayi Bagundi. "My producer is a follower of the J. Krishnamurthy school of thought. He gave me two lines from his teacher's preaching - "Where the self is, there is no love. Where there is love, there is no self." Based on this concept I wrote the story which is offbeat in content and commercial in form," says Nagabhushan. The unit takes a brief break as lens man Bharani K. Dharan and his assistants have to move their equipment to another corner in the aesthetically done up room. The penthouse is in fact a set created (by art director Madhav) on the terrace of the bungalow.
"This scene shows the interaction between the hero and the heroine. They exchange views on human relationships and love. He returns from London. She lost her home and parents in the tsunami tragedy and was sheltered by his parents (Sarath Babu and Chandana of Anand fame). She hails from a village and is traditional. The entire story revolves around her character. More than a heroine, I would like to call her as the protagonist. Sounds clichéd, but you find a totally different Sneha as a performing actor in this movie."
He adds that there are no villains or violence. He says K.M. Radhakrishnan has given fantastic music for the six songs. We shot two songs at specially created sets in Ramoji Film City where we have also filmed 50 per cent of the talkie part. The remaining songs will be shot in the next schedule that commences from August 17 at Vizag and then move to Karaikal, Kanyakumari and a temple near Kancheepuram. The scene that you just saw is the pre-climax sequence," the director says. Veturi penned five songs and Vanamali wrote a folk song.
Memories of tsunami
The producer is planning to shoot some scenes in the tsunami-affected villages in Karaikal and Kanyakumari; this will be a flashback scene in which the heroine's parents (played by `Ahuti' Prasad and Bharathi) appear. Sneha faces the camera and in awe of her commitment the director says, "The other day we started filming in the evening and planned to wind up at mid night. But the shoot continued till 5 a.m. the next day. Sneha was so involved that without a trace of tiredness, she continued her work. It's amazing." As Nagabhushan moves towards his actors, he tells us as a parting shot, "For two and half hours the film will entertain you and at the same time make you think. Film-makers often categorise their films as those that target the masses, family audiences and the youth. But we are making this film for manasunna prathi okkari kosam."
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