When director Giriraj narrated the ‘one line’ of ‘Mythri’ to producer Raj Kumar he was hooked. The premise was thought provoking and needed marquee names for a wider reach. Raj Kumar, a confidante of Puneeth was apprehensive about approaching the superstar but was surprised at his eagerness to be a part of the film in which he plays himself. For a pivotal character Giri could not think of anyone other than Mohanlal. Trepidation turned into a triumphant smile for the director when the gifted actor gave the green signal. “I was very impressed with the thought and the director’s narration. I postponed a film in the pipeline to accommodate Giri,” said Lal, during the shooting. He plays a scientist and took pains to dub his own lines. The film involves kids but is definitely not a ‘children’s film’ if at all that genre still exists. It’s more about teenage delinquents. Ilaiyaraja too consented immediately to score the music. The film was completed on schedule but has been delayed for reasons beyond anyone’s control. The film is scheduled for release in the second week of February.
It’s not everyday that Ilaiyaraja agrees to grace an occasion, even if he’s involved. Being a workaholic he’s most comfortable in the confines of his studio making melody. Impressed with the fact that Giri had effectively converted what he’d narrated into celluloid, the maestro agreed to attend the audio release. In fact after watching the film he requested for a couple of extra days to compose the background score which is unusual. “I was touched by the great man’s dedication after all these years,” says Giri, who feels it’s a blessing to have worked with such renowned names so early in his career.
The Citadel is considered a lucky venue by the superstitious film folk. The press was to cover two events one after the other. If the tagline of ‘Mythri’ boasted, ‘The game starts now’ the other claimed ‘The game has begun’. The brusque manner of the mushrooming visual media is irksome. They literally created a wall between the stage and the spectators. The hall was packed with many claiming they’d come for a glimpse of their musical God. Raja was caught in a traffic snarl and so the dignitaries were invited onstage to stop the gathering from getting restless. Mohanlal had sent a tele message that was shown. He was all praise for the director and the fact that he’d fulfilled his wish of acting with Raj Kumar by sharing screen space with his son. Giriraj thanked Puneeth for agreeing to act in a film that shunned the expected ingredients. There was a hush as the diminutive giant of music entered. Puneeth got irritated when a photographer literally ordered those onstage to pose. The maestro said he never talked about his music. “You should tell me how it is. Having signed a big star in a film sans any commercial trappings is itself an achievement. I think Giriraj has made a very good film. If your taste matches mine you’ll like it,” said Raja. There were smiles all round when Puneeth’s daughters were asked to do the honours.
The demand for compensation by the distributors of ‘Lingaa’ has touched farcical proportions. Previously there were regular producers and faithful distributors. If a film flopped the next one was offered at a lower rate. Now you have fly by night operators who’ve turned wealthy overnight and don’t know the trade. A first time distributor in Tamil Nadu claims that Rajni’s previous hit had collected seven crores but he goes and buys the film for eight. Now that’s just a bad business decision. Neither the superstar nor the producer pleaded with him to buy it. I would like to know how many distributors shared their earnings with Rajni when their coffers were overflowing thanks to hits like ‘Baasha’ and ‘Annamalai’. Cinema is a gamble and distribution more so. I paid a small fortune to buy the ticket during the opening weekend. I did not like the film but can’t ask the multiplex to return my money. I hope things don’t reach that stage.
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