Kumar Nagendra promises fun-filled 'Tuntari'

Director Kumar Nagendra has made his presence felt with ‘Gundello Godari’ and ‘Joru’ is optimistic about the result of his third film, ‘Tuntari’.  In this interview, he talks about Nara Rohit's character, the film's subject, and more.  

You have done two films, both of which did not do quite well at the BO.  If GG got mixed response, Joru was a flop.  What thoughts are crossing your mind?

For all the years that I assisted Krishna Vamsi garu, films are my world.  Only one dream kept me busy: The dream of becoming an amazing director. I made Gundelo Godari believing fully in myself.  But the thing is, for a great film to be made, everything should come perfectly.  The casting was perfect.  But some things in the script seem to have gone wrong.  I tried to suppress the element of illicit affairs.  I think the audience did not quite connect to the emotions.  I like to make intense stuff that plays out for, say, 15 mins or so.  I like to make episodes rather than scenes.  Surprisingly, both Telugu and Tamil audience felt that the film’s nativity belonged to the other States.  (Laughs). 

As for Joru, I was anxious about not letting the costs escalate.  I had an ensemble cast on board.  Costly actors like Brahmanandam and Sayaji Shinde meant that I had to wrap up the shoot on time, otherwise the budget would go up.  The comedy of confusion was too hard to comprehend. 

What is the premise of Tuntari?

Tuntari has elements of fantasy and is a full-on comedy essentially.  Five software engineers happen to bump into a Sadhu in a forest, belittle him, and the Sadhu manifests a newspaper belonging to a future date.  They read that Nara Rohit’s character will win a boxing match and help them make a profit of Rs. 5 cr.  Will that happen or not?  What happens later?  That forms the crux.  Vennela Kishore is one of the comedians.  Kabir Dulhan Singh is Rohit’s antagonist. 

How differently have you tried to portray Nara Rohit?

He has done his most energetic role till date.  Besides the thriller element, his performance is the biggest highlight.  So far, he has played serious, intense kind of roles.  Here, he is electric like Ravi Teja.  We will watch with excitement if Chiranjeevi garu adapts the steps of Allu Arjun garu.  Same is the effect in Tuntari. Nara Rohit is a non-serious boxer.  When circumstances thrust him into playing boxing with a professional like Kabir Dulhan Singh, he has a Charlie Chapline kind of moment.  

What are the other highlights of Tuntari?

Besides the subject and Nara Rohit’s performance, it is grand visually and very light-veined.  For about 40 minutes or so, the emotional content will captivate you.  Compared to the original (Maan Karate in Tamil), the length is 30 minutes less.  I feel our audiences don’t have much patience to watch a lengthy film. In Maan Karate, the love track got less attention.  In my film, it's very important in the first half.  I got an input from AR Murugadoss regarding this.  

What have you learnt after doing three films?

I learnt that the satisfaction one gets from doing a straight film is much more than from making a remake.  When it comes to a remake, there is no much excitement as everybody knows the output.  I went for a remake because Joru didn't do well and also because I especially liked Maan Karate.

Which all directors have influenced you most?

I can't name one.  Bapu garu, K Viswanath garu, Jandhayla garu, Vamsi garu, Krishna Vamsi garu - they all have different ways of presentation.  Fims like Titanic, and Cast Away have influenced me. I am not really inspired by any one particular director.  Even though I made Joru because I like Priyadarshan's kind of comedy, I was not inspired by him.  It's just that I liked the 'gajibiji' in the climax.  You find those shades in Joru.

What feedback have you received from those who have watched Tuntari?

Everyone is happy.  Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao garu made it a point to watch it probably because he liked my style of film making.  He has liked Tuntari.  Coming from the editor of a film like Baahubali, I am happy.  I had invited Krishna Vamsi garu to the audio release function.  But he didn't turn up because he has a sentiment that he shouldn't attend audio functions because when he did in the past, two or three films faced obstacles to their release.