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Of spoofs `n' sequels
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Nagesh Kukunoor is back with a fresh flick `Iqbal' that is poised to hit the silver screen soon, reports SYEDA FARIDA
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The independent or short film momentum is getting wings
MAVERICK MOVES Nagesh Kukunoor does not like to go with the trend Photo: D. GOPALAKRISHNA
Ever since he rolled out his first flick eight years ago, Nagesh Kukunoor has been churning out films — the sequel Hyderabad Blues 2-Rearranged Marriage, Teen Deewarein and Rockford included.
If the debut Hyderabad Blues was a spoof on the travails of a Hyderabadi NRI in town, Bollywood Calling was a comical take on the Bollywood, and Teen Deewarein, a compelling saga.
He doesn't buy the idea of defining his flicks into festival films `stuff that doesn't run in theatres' or commercial films. His SIC production house that he started post Hyderabad Blues stands for Stability Is a Curse!
"I don't go with trends. I make movies on subject I enjoy most. I make my kind of films (laughs). I never wanted to be slotted or written off as director who makes one genre of films. I made a conscious effort after Bollywood Calling to make Teen Deewarein. I want to keep the `what is he giving next' element up. So, I come to each film fresh, with the idea of making something unique," he says in a tête-à-tête during his brief visit home from LA en route to Mumbai for postproduction of his forthcoming flick.
Titled Iqbal, the Subhash Ghai's Mukta Arts Limited production is slated to be an end of June release, "may be a more realistic July release. We have wrapped up the shoot. This is a relatively big film. We are looking for a wider release," he explains. Kukunoor repeats Naseeruddin Shah for the film along with yet another theatre veteran Girish Karnad. "Iqbal is about underdogs, following dreams and beating the odds. It's about an 18-year-old boy, the protagonist, who aspires to be a cricketer and wants to make it to the Indian cricket team. We have found a good cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee, who has Road and Lucky to his credit, to work with," he adds.
Multi-starrer
One is reminded of his Amitabh Bachchan starrer Tandoor that has been simmering on the board for a while. "It was supposed to happen two years ago. There was a creative difference with the producer. It is a function of getting the right actor and the bank. When you get one, you don't get another. It is a project I hope to start again," he says.
Looking back, his all-time favourite has been Bollywood Calling. "When I watched it on the cable recently, I thought it was beyond ridiculous and very well portrayed by Om Puri. Especially the scene when he explains to the `white guy' why he should cry. In fact, I used it to explain cultural differences during my recent talk Globalisation and Independent Film Making: Chances and Challenges at University of Hartford, Connecticut," says Kukunoor.
He is enthused by the trend of short films catching up in twin cities. "The independent or short film momentum is getting wings. Earlier they were made by NFDC, now you have individuals making smaller films, as it is done worldwide," he says. On living between two time zones, "I try to spend my time between the U.S. and India. It helps making contacts, keep connections alive and get to know about new techniques in the market," he says.
"Where do I belong? I keep floating between the two places. Making films keep me happy here. I can't complain. I have a career I wanted, that's a huge plus," says the director much changed from the disturbed NRI protagonist in his debut flick. For the moment Iqbal it is, a film he plans to take to the international market.
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