Harish Shankar, the maker of upcoming Ravi Teja starrer Mr Bachchan, is known for his penchant for creating hero-driven action entertainers. Talking about his latest directorial, Harish Shankar reflected on his debut film, Shock (2006), which too starred Ravi Teja. The failure of the 2006 film, he recalls, pushed him to shift his entire focus to making commercial vehicles for stars.
Talking about this shift, he further adds, “Shock was a big shock to me. I was going against the norm because Ravi Teja gaaru was coming right after films like Idiot (2002), and I showed an emasculated version of a guy who couldn’t even protect his wife. The box-office result of that film shaped the next phase of my career. When I made Mirapakay (2011) again with Ravi gaaru, it became a resounding success.”
On the idea of heroism and the tagline, ‘The Only Hope,’ in his upcoming film, he says, “The character of my hero is that hope in the tagline. I believe that the pursuit of honesty, by default, is heroic. Imagine, in the 80s, people used to do everything for a few hundred rupees, but one officer refused to take a bribe of lakhs and stood by duty principles. That attracted me. All of us should strive to be honest, but nobody is. That’s why, when you actually see an honest person, you see them as a hero.”
Underlining the influence of literature in his life, the filmmaker reflects, “Besides taking me to movies, my father also introduced me to Yandamuri’s novels and Chalam’s literature. Watching and reading continuously helped me get confidence in my craft. Even today, I reckon that I am able to write dialogues like this because I spent my young life reading a lot. Only a reader can write, but the problem is people of today’s generation stopped reading.”
The Ravi Teja starrer is a remake of the 2018 Ajay Devgn starrer Raid, which was based on true events of the longest IT raid that happened in the 80s. When asked about whether the protagonist was tweaked to fit Ravi Teja’s image, Harish explains, “The difference between Raid and Mr Bachchan, is simply in the actors. Ajay Devgn is a serious, intense actor. Whereas Ravi Teja is known for the energy, charisma, humour and fun he creates on screen. The main character of Bachchan in my film is equal parts Ravi Teja’s charisma and the sincerity of an IT officer. Just because someone is sincere doesn’t mean they can’t have fun in life.”
Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan criticised the decline of morality in heroes of recent films. When asked to comment on this topic, being a vocal Pawan Kalyan supporter himself, Harish Shankar said, “Kalyan gaaru is the deputy chief minister now, and he has the right to say what he would like. I don’t believe that the influence of cinema on people will last more than a few hours after they watch it. Did you see any youth grabbing an axe and going to forests to smuggle after the release of Pushpa? Moreover, the crime that happens every day is far more dangerous than the crime portrayed in cinema. This notion that people are attracted to negative things is not my problem to solve. I can’t comment on filmmakers who make serious, socially responsible films—I am here for entertainment.”
Talking about the ‘excessive’ romance in his film, which also stars Bhagyashri Borse, Harish Shankar says, “In the original film, they were a married couple. But a funny writer said, ‘Marriage is the end of love.’ I believe that. I wanted to show a cute love story from the 80s. I feel love in today’s times has become too convenient and boring. Back in our days, if a guy called his girlfriend on a landline, his heart used to tremble with fear. That thrill is missing in today. Everything is easy. They text their partners and get replies within seconds, whereas for us, even getting to see the girl standing on her balcony was difficult. So, of course, in those challenging times, when two lovers meet after a lot of planning, they would engage in romance. They wouldn’t sit and do bhajan right?”
Adding as a final note, the filmmaker says, “Mr Bachchan is a complete entertainment package. The songs, the fights, and the scenes will have repeat audiences. You will get to see an energetic Ravi Teja again after many years on the screen. Vintage Ravi Teja will be back for you.”