Srinivas Raju made Dandupalya because he believed that notoriety and pluck will win over the audience. He was proved right. The critically acclaimed movie introduced Sandalwood to grim subjects and bold filmmaking. There were debates about the rawness in the film and Pooja Gandhi’s backless shot, in the end the film the film spoke, naturally.
The director says, “There was so much fuss when Pooja did a backless shot for Dandupalya but ultimately, when people watched the film, they realised that the shot was essential.” Now, in Dandupalya 2, Srinivas Raju may provoke the audience and critics further with another shot that shows a kiss between Pooja and one of the female characters in the film.
Srinivas maintains that this was necessary for the narrative and the scene, of two female jail inmates kissing, was not shot for publicity. “This was necessary for the story,” he says. “Whatever the scripts demands I shoot and allow the audience to decide. I love my films and I can’t allow falsity in them. They are all done with utmost sincerity.”
According to Srinivas, Pooja was initially hesitant to do the scene and took a while to get comfortable with the idea. “End of the day, she believed in the script and gave a perfect shot in the fourth take,” he says.
Dandupalya 2 features actors such as Sruthi, Makrand Deshpande, Ravi Kale, Sanjjanaa, Petrol Prasanna, Karisubbu, Yathiraj, Danny, Jayadev and Muni. The director is now shooting part 3 of the series, and he says he does not care about the box-office results. The film has music by Arjun Janya and cinematography by Venkat Prasad.