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Bollywood calling

SARASWATHY NAGARAJAN

T.K. Rajeevkumar seems to be all set to make his mark in the Hindi film industry with three films in various stages of production.

MUMBAI-BOUND: T.K. Rajeevkumar has successfully avoided being typecast;

T.K. Rajeevkumar is a man of few words. He prefers to let his films do the talking. So though the controversy kicked up by the State film awards, of which he was the jury chairman, is only settling down, Rajeev remains engrossed in the post production work of his first mainstream film in Hindi, `Chal Chala Chal.' Excerpts from an interview in which he spoke at length about his work and his forthcoming films.

What are your Hindi films on the anvil?

Actually `Free Kick' is my first Hindi film. It is a satire that exposes the rampant consumerism in the health sector. We calculated that once a person registers as an out-patient, it benefits 414 people. A football player who goes to the hospital with a minor headache is ripped off by the system. Hopefully, it should be released soon.

`Chal Chala Chal,' produced by Fuel Pictures Company, a joint venture of Priyadarshan and Sunil Shetty, is a remake of the Malayalam hit `Varavelpu.'

I have written the screenplay along with Priyan [Priyadarshan]. The cast includes Govinda, Rajpal Yadav, Raima Sen, Om Puri and Asrani. We have changed the situation slightly. Om Puri plays a retired headmaster whose pension is caught in red tape. Finally he gets a ruin of a bus as compensation. That sets the background for the story. The film will reach cinemas in the last week of July.

Any particular reasons for working in Hindi films?

Well, their scale of operations is much bigger and so is their audience. The biggest advantage is that the director knows who his audience is. That is the hardest task for a director in Malayalam. Youngsters in Kerala seem to prefer Tamil and Hindi films to Malayalam films. So it is difficult to presume if a film will eventually reach out to the viewers for whom the film was made. Another advantage is the mushrooming of multiplexes that has revived parallel cinema in Hindi. This gives a director more freedom to make the kind of film that he wants to make and not be driven by market compulsions alone. Right from the beginning, the filmmaker clearly has his viewers in mind. So the film is aided by the right marketing strategy too. Moreover, with the arrival of corporate production houses, there are certain advantages such as marketing of the films that can only help a director.

Govinda plays the lead in `Chal Chala Chal.'

There seems to be a trend as quite a few film directors from Kerala are making films in Hindi.

Many of the top technicians and cinematographers in Bollywood are from Kerala. Moreover, we have certain plus points that help producers. For instance, our disciplined way of working ensures that films are finished on schedule. Most of our directors try to keep their films within the budget. So our films do not drag on for two or three years.

Any plans of shifting base to Mumbai or doing films in Hindi only?

No. I am working on my next Malayalam film `Sumathy teacherum Sakhavum.' The script by P. Balachandran is ready. Yesteryear actor Sarada has agreed to act in the film that shows the ups and downs of an aged couple who are forced to relocate to Adelaide in Australia as their children live there. As I said earlier, we plan to have a proper marketing strategy before the film is released. Another film of mine `Seetakalyanam' is ready for release.

You have successfully escaped being typecast as a filmmaker. Was that intentional?

I have tried not to make a film on the same subject. If some producers had their way, I would have been making more films like `Chanakyan' or `Kannezhuthi Pottumthottu.' But I have always preferred to move on to fresh themes.

In fact, that is why I even refused to make the remake of my films in Tamil and Telugu. That would be merely repeating the same experience. I agreed to do `Varavelpu' only because it is a new film as far as I am concerned. Moreover it has been scripted by none other than Sreenivasan. I will also be doing the sequel to `Malamal.' The four main characters played by Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani and Om Puri will remain but the heroine will be a top star.

Film directors from Kerala, including Priyadarshan, are often said to be making B grade films.

I don't agree with that. Priyan is held in high esteem and he is one of the most sought-after directors in Bollywood. If he prefers to work with lesser known stars, that is because he wants it that way and not because of lack of actors.

Priyan's early films in Malayalam did not feature the stars of those days. He made his name by working with the lesser known actors then. His presence has encouraged other directors to broaden their horizons.

Would you agree to be the chairperson of another jury to decide the State film awards?

Yes, why not.

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