|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
‘They
got married and lived happily thereafter’. Or did they? The hero in
Nagesh Kukunoor’s surprise hit, Hyderabad Blues was arrogant
about his success in the US. The heroine, a local doctor, had her own
sense of nationalism and pride. They fell in love gradually, squabbled
often, but finally We will know very soon. Kukunoor is almost ready
with the sequel to the earlier film. Hyderabad Blues II looks at
the couple after six years of marriage. Knowing Kukunoor one can be sure
that he will not deal just with the usual post-marriage hassles.
"The film will have the earthy flavour of Hyderabad Blues",
says the restless Kukunoor. "It is a serious film on the man-woman
divide." It is good news for moviegoers that the 37-year-old
former US-based environment consultant is once again back making movies.
Keen to make at least one movie a year, Nagesh has so far come out with Hyderabad
Blues, Rockford, Bollywood Calling and 3 Deewarein.
But the first one was unique, it had a flavour of its own and audiences
loved its realistic approach to typical middle-class problems. Kukunoor
does things which would make your average Bollywood producer blanch. Hyderabad
Blues was shot in 17 days at a budget of Rs 12 lakhs and so far, his
longest shooting stint has been 36 days. "But I am learning all the
time," explained the moviemaker. "You will find much more
technical expertise in HB II". But don’t expect glamour
and slickness in the film. Like its predecessor, it is matter of fact,
shot inside normal homes and not exotic foreign locales. HB II will
be marketed by UTV.
He does not spend much time theorising. Quick action is what he wants. When a Kukunoor film goes on sets, everything is ready — the script, locations and shooting schedules. The unit members and actors can voice their views, but the director has the last word. Clothes stylishly disheveled, unruly mop of black hair, Kukunoor mirrors the ‘cool’, anti-slick look of his films. "Content is what matters in a movie," he asserts. "Our audiences are now quite intelligent and mature." He is not keen on big budgets or glamorous stars. Nor is it his intention to make pots of money from his movies. Kukunoor is all for the small, meaningful, realistic cinema for which there is a definite need. "While big, slick films flood the market, there is also a niche for my films and those like Maqbool. Such films strike the much-needed balance between commercial and art cinema." Kukunoor makes it clear he is not sitting on judgment over Bollywood. But there are things he will never do, like make a film out of a borrowed Hollywood plot, and claiming it as his own. "I am not for such remixes at all," he says. The young moviemaker stands by family values. His is a close-knit family which has always supported his work. In fact, the role of the family was one of the key themes of Hyderabad Blues. The hero’s orthodox parents, who were keen to arrange a marriage for their foreign-based son, initially grumbled about, but finally accepted his right to chose his own bride. We may see more such sentiments in HB II. |
