8MM will be a one - man show by Jaggesh
Upcoming film, 8mm, slated for release this week, will see Jaggesh being directed by Harikrishna. 8MM, which is named after the bullet calibre, will see Jaggesh portraying a negative role. “The antagonist is the protagonist of our film, he has committed 8 murders and there is a story behind each killing. The movie will explore the reason for each murder is explored through the movie,” Harikrishna explains.
Alongside Jaggesh, the movie also features actors Vasishta Simha and Mayuri, whose roles diverge on different tracks in the movie. Though each character has just one or two scenes with Jaggesh, each scene has its own relevance to the plot, the director says. “The curiousity is built upon till the climax,” Harikrishna adds.
Addressing rumours that 8MM is a remake of a Tamil film, he denied it and said that even he had heard the same. “We have taken a line from a Korean movie called Stray Dog and matched it with local sensibilities. I want to credit it to Korean makers from whose film I have considered the subject line,” he says.
About his experience working with Jaggesh, Harikrishna says that it was an amazing experience. “His effort on set is inspiring. There was one scene which needed him to deliver 7 to 8 pages of dialogue. His aim was to do the whole scene in a single shot. A five --and- half-minute scene was done in a single take and people on the sets applauded his effort. This scene is towards the end of the second half of the movie and is definitely something to watch out for,” Harikrishna says.
Not many have attempted to explore a different shade of Jaggesh in their movies and Harikrishna wanted to explore the negative side of the Navarasa Nayaka. “The actor usually has the audience hooked with his humour and with 8MM, will turn into an action hero,” the director says. “When I first discussed this with the producer, the first thought was to bring on board an actor who has never played such a role before. Jaggesh was the unanimous choice. He started with negative roles and became popular for his particular variety of comedy. For me, he is like super star Rajnikanth and to fit him in this shade was challenging. This role needed a lot of dedication from the actor,” Harikrishna tells us.
Can an established actor understand a debutant’s mind? “IRA was supposed to be my first directorial. Unfortunately the film couldn’t see its release because of the producers. Having said that, working with a top star who is 147-films-old was humbling. He gave me the same respect that he gave to any other director. That freedom, I considered it a responsibility, and it was a pleasure associating with him,” he says. Harikrishna said 8MM will be a one man show of Jaggesh. “This is definitely a ‘different’ kind of a film coming from the actor. Seen in different shades, there is absolutely no comedy from Jaggesh in 8MM,” he said.
Along with Jaggesh, Rockline Venkatesh, the producer and actor also has a pivotal role in 8MM. “In the role of a senior police officer, Rockline travels through the cinema and one can look forward to his acting prowess in the film,” said Harikrishna, and added that in case of Vasishta who is mostly seen as a villain, this film features him in a positive role and as a cop.”