French Biriyani will be Pannaga Bharana’s second directorial after Happy New Year, and his first attempt at comedy. Having gained experience by working mostly in films made by his father, well-known director TS Nagarbharana, as well as some other projects, Pannaga is now happy to present all of it on one platter. “Biriyani comes in layers, which we have to mix up and relish. Likewise, French Biriyani was made possible with a good team coming together,” he says. Ahead of the film’s release on Amazon Prime on July 24, Pannaga talks to Cinema Express about the preparations that went in making French Biriyani:
‘If not for Puneeth, this film wouldn’t have been conceived’
“First comes the production house. PRK Production, created by Puneeth Rajkumar, a film jointly produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar and Gurudutt A Talwar. Puneeth, who likes to experiment, decided to take up this project, and is open to these kinds of subjects. If not for him, I don’t think French Biriyani would have happened. They gave wings to this project,” says Pannaga.
Essence of the story
“French Biriyani was a story written by me, which was developed by writer Avinash Balekkala. He has done a fantastic job,” says Pannaga.
A spicy touch
Along with Danish Sait, French Biriyani stars a host of actors, including Sal Yusuf, Rangayana Raghu, Disha Madan, Nagabhusan, Sindhu, and Mahantesh, among others. “All of them come with their own talent, and their individual strength has come together here. This has brought in spice to the project,” says Pannaga.
‘Music director Vasuki Vaibhav has brought in a different flavour’
Composer Vasuki Vaibhav, who is usually known for his melodies, has stepped out of his comfort zone to create music for French Biriyani. The film has four songs. The Bengaluru song has a mix of rap. Yen Madodu Swamy is a bar song sung by Puneeth Rajkumar. Then there is a chase song, which has been shot in Shivajinagar. “There is also a death procession song, Hogbutta Charles Hogbutta, which is satirical. The last two songs will be out tomorrow,” Pannaga says.
Creating the right kind of atmosphere
Cinematographer Karthik Palani, who has been associated with big films starring Rajinikanth and Mahesh Babu, has treated this comedy unlike his previous proejcts. “He wanted this to be a different film for himself. He treated it like a serious film, but the content is comedy,” says Pannaga.
A matter of timing
Editor Deepu S Kumar has kept the timing shot and sweet. “He understood the pace of the film, and has kept the duration at two hours. Music and editing should go hand in hand for comedy to work, and he has kept it intact,” says the director.
Chef at work
“I have come out with my first out-and-out comedy. Initially, it was very scary. However, the end product looks satisfying,” says Pannaga. “Humour is something, which is difficult because if you listen to comedy sequences once, you laugh at it. But when you are repeatedly listening to the same thing, at one point, you stop enjoying humour, and you feel that the fun gets lost. I have been part of French Biriyani from the inception stage to writing it, bringing together the cast and crew, shooting, editing, and reworking on the entire process. By now, I have seen the visuals and comedy more than 100 times.
At one point, I start losing judgment about whether it is funny or not, and it was a new experience. Every time I would finish a sequence, I would go and sit with a person, show him the clipping, and observe if he is laughing at it or not. Today, when people have embraced the songs and trailer, I feel really happy. I hope that French Biriyani, now delivered right at home, will be relished by the audience.