A hint of surprise in content and execution is sometimes enough to make people take notice and, possibly, overlook glitches if any. Tiger, directed by Vi. Anand, is tailor-made for the box office but breaks a few unsaid rules laid out by formulaic films. The actor who plays the title role, Sundeep Kishan, appears almost 30 minutes into the film and doesn’t have a leading lady. “If you’re the face of the film and don’t appear in the first half hour, there’s a risk that the audience will get restless. Nevertheless, we went ahead since the director and producer were confident,” says Sundeep. The gamble has paid off and the film, which opened last week, is holding its own at the box office.
Tiger’s lead actors Sundeep and Rahul Ravindran have been on the move, visiting cinema halls in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. “It’s like getting a free body massage,” laughs Sundeep, referring to the pushing and shoving they were subjected to in cinema halls. “When we step into a theatre and find large crowds, it’s a huge relief. The energy is upbeat since Tiger is a commercial success,” says Rahul. The actor has done promo tours for Andhala Rakshasi in the past and more recently for Ala Ela, a surprise hit of 2014. Two back-to-back successes have earned him recognition.
Vi. Anand, a protégé of A.R. Murugadoss, directed the sci-fi Tamil film Appuchi Gramam before approaching Sundeep for Tiger. “The subject of honour killing hasn’t been touched upon in Telugu cinema, barring Gouravam, and I liked how Anand’s screenplay dealt with the issue within the commercially viable framework,” says Sundeep.
Water is a connecting element that runs through the film as it shifts between Rajahmundry and Varanasi. The team considered Orissa, interiors of UP and Haryana to film the honour killing portions before finalising Varanasi, which lent itself to visual flourish. “Water establishes the beauty of nature and contrasts how honour killings go against that beauty. The film raises a point that, in most cases, a couple is lynched when the girl falls in love with a boy from a different village/sect and not vice versa,” says Sundeep. Rahul, who was roped into the film on Sundeep’s suggestion, feels the climax portions involving Seerat and the monologue by an elderly woman in the village stuck a chord with the audience.
Buddies in real life, Rahul and Sundeep translated their off-screen camaraderie on screen. “We are like family and that helped when we worked together,” says Sundeep.
Rahul agrees, “Sundeep being a friend worked to the advantage of the film. At the same time, I feel it isn’t a must for co-stars to share off-screen friendship for it to reflect on screen.”
In the film, Sundeep plays a protective and possessive friend to Rahul. “In real life, it’s Rahul who is protective of me,” quips Sundeep. “He can get impulsive at times and I keep telling him to watch out,” admits Rahul.
Tiger’s success has bolstered Rahul’s prospects in the industry. He will be seen next in the Mahesh starrer Srimanthudu, followed by the Tamil film Pallandu Vazhga, and the sequel to Ala Ela. For Sundeep, this is a step ahead after Venkatadri Express. The actor has signed a film to be directed by writer Rajsimha and plans to take up one film at a time.
The actors gear up for another promo tour, barely a day after they return from a road trip which they describe as “exhausting beyond words, but wonderful”, eager to cash in on the buzz before the big budget films come in.
