Way back in 1986, when Shivarajkumar scripted box office history in Sandalwood with his debut film, Anand (the film crossed 25 weeks), there was little doubt that the feat will be surpassed quickly. But surprisingly, it took 29 years! And it took a ‘nobody’ in the film industry to do so.
Nirup Bhandari’s Rangitaranga will be celebrating its silver jubilee, having crossed the 25-week mark. Though obviously thrilled, the actor is wise enough to consider the achievement as an added responsibility and humble enough to give complete credit to the strength of the script. “Audience proved that if you make a quality film, they will accept it,” he says.
Nirup admits that even after 25 weeks, the fact that he is a hero now is yet to sink in. “I started as an associate director, and I was not supposed to play the main lead. When finally they decided to go with a newcomer, they asked me to audition since I was associated with theatre,” he recollects and adds that he just focussed on the character and never thought that Rangitaranga was his launch film. “That’s why it never occurred to me nor did I have the pressure of being a hero. Since, it was a new film with newcomers, our aim was only to get the film to the theatre,” he says. While he accepts that he is the same person, the way people look and treat him, has changed drastically. “They are now curious about my next film and want to know what I am going to do. People even try to find out my phone number,” he says.
The actor has been globetrotting with his brother, Anup Bhandari, who wrote and directed Rangitaranga. According to him, while there is a demand for TV rights, they are in no hurry. “Seems like it is not necessary yet, as the film is still running in 30 theatres including multiplexes across Karnataka,” he points out.
Though Nirup has been offered films from other directors, he currently wants to stick to working with his brother with whom he will soon start his second project. “Right now I have a certain comfort level with Anup. At the scripting stage itself we develop the story together. I know what he thinks and what he wants. But, in future, I would want to work with other directors,” he says and adds that in order to keep the success going, the focus will be on the script, characters and technicians. “I also feel that the director is one of the heroes of the film,” he observes.
The Rangitaranga team plans to celebrate their Silver Jubilee success on December 20.