He’s 26 films-old and has become a sure-shot director when it comes to success, at least as far as the numbers go. Which is why numbers like eight crores (the collections for the opening weekend), seem almost inevitable for him. However, director Puri Jagannadh cautions, “We have to wait till today to actually see how well the collections are. But so far, it is one of the best, if not the best, performance my movie has.” The real litmus test, he agrees though, is to see if the numbers will continue to grow two weeks later.
A commercial filmmaker with an unconventional story-telling style, Iddarammayilatho follows suit with a diary playing the most important catalyst to the plot. “I know the idea’s been around, but it really hooked me that one woman finds this diary and reads this story which soon becomes her own.” Giving it a spin of his own, the director uses juxtaposes the present with the past. What could’ve backfired quite horribly, turned out to be the strength of the film. “It’s very difficult to keep the narrative connected, and move between timelines. In the movie, the heroine reads the diary, meets the hero in the present and then goes back to reading the diary, which describes his past. It took a lot of time to get that right.”
Released last Friday, the movie stars Allu Arjun, Amala Paul and Katherine Teresa in the lead. Based in Spain, the film takes audience through the scenic Spanish locales, while our hero is modelled to be a ‘famous’ guitarist with a rock band. Ask him if he conceived the character or decided on the country first, the director says, “The country.
The hero was initially supposed to be a mechanic!” Considering that in his last movie his protagonist was a mechanic-turned-journalist, the change is understandable. “I thought of the movie five years ago. Over the years, this was the only detail that changed because I couldn’t imagine a romantic story in a shed,” he adds. As for Spain, he counters, “Hundreds of movies have been made in Hyderabad. I wanted a change in location to bring some life to the film.” Working magic on the screen with cinematographer Amol Rathod, Puri agrees that this was also once of his most favourite productions from the lens point of view. “I think it’s our best work to date. The violin song was really well made.” However, not all was great.
Confessing that many a times his assistants point that a certain dialogue or sequence has been repeated from his previous works, he’s also been hearing that the climax of the movie is very similar to that of his debut, Badri. “I honestly don’t remember. Besides, it’s the same head that’s coming up with the ideas. Naturally, there’s going to be repetition.” Taking time to juggle questions from curious movie critics at his producer, Bandla Ganesh’s office, the director promises that his next will be a good story that’s new. “I’m planning a story with a newcomer. It’s going to be great.”
Coming back to the movie, the director also agrees that there were many loose ends. “No director can ever tie up all the loose ends. Besides, it’s a movie; at one point logic will cease. Not everybody questions the film as much.” Talking about the rather glaring mistake where the second heroine recognises the first without ever having seen her, what made it even more conspicuous was the hero himself questioning the heroine, yet no answer comes forth. “There was no time! A fight sequence begins,” he jokes, but adds on a more serious note, “I knew about it. Whatever mistakes were there, were not unconscious. But I chose to leave them so.” However, with a lot negative feedback coming in about his comic sequences featuring actor Ali, the director has eliminated them from the print. “It was not there initially. But a lot of people kept saying it would be great to have them. So we added it, and they seemed exactly like that.”
Which goes to show, you never know what could really work. “There is no formula and anybody who professes otherwise is an idiot. You just have a gut feeling and you got with it.” And his gut feeling is that the movie will be the success he needs.
Coming up next, the director will be working with Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun and Prabhas in three separate projects, besides working on remakes of his films in Bollywood. “If they want it, sure why not!” is his take.