Ashok Patil has quietly slipped into town and launched his third directorial effort produced by his brother B.C. Patil. Ashok, if you remember made that taut thriller, “Shapa” starring Ramesh. “Shaapa” came at a time when Kann ada cinema was meandering in mediocrity. It was not a great film but showed the director’s flair for the medium. A portion of the film was inspired by a short story penned by Fredrick Forsyth. Ashok has studied filmmaking in the US and has a masters degree in fine arts. The youngster was disappointed with the response to his maiden effort and quietly flew back to America before returning to make “Joke Falls” inspired by “Chupke Chupke”. The film did pretty well, but Ashok disappeared again. Training abroad is only a technical qualification. At the end of the day what matters is whether the filmmaker is able to connect to local sensibilities. It’s boom time for Kannada cinema and Ashok must have found the time just right for a return.It’s boom-time for Kannada cinema but the fallout is that youngsters are being lured by producers offering them big bucks for priority dates. Duniya Vijay, it’s rumoured has been offered a mind boggling sum by Ramu for his next venture to be directed by Om Prakash Rao. Old friends are complaining that the lure of the lucre has changed this down to earth lad. I haven’t met him recently because he’s been away in Mysore, shooting for over a month. I did warn him film industry would change him, but Vijay had assured me he was an exception. Hope his friends are wrong.
The dream run for Nenapirali Prem has ended with “Savi Savi Nenapu” leaving bad memories in the minds of viewers. The film is technically tacky and the narrative convoluted. Prem’s new look hasn’t helped in luring female audiences. Now Prem will have to depend on his mentor Ratnaja’s second venture, “Honganasu” to revive his career. “Honganasu” anyway was supposed to be Ratnaja’s second venture but when his ‘Guru’, Hamsalekha offered him a film, he jumped at the offer. It was to star Shivraj Kumar and Ramya, but Shivanna dropped out just before the launch.
After “Sivaji” the media is turning the spotlight on the other superstar, Kamal Hassan’s “Dashavatharam” in which the maverick appears in 10 different avatars. “It is a gimmick,” admits Kamal with candour, but adds that they’re seeing to it that the narrative is seamlessly sewn. For the first time Kamal has not spoken about the film. Fans are building up a slow frenzy.
Friends who’ve visited the sets have been astonished the character sitting next to them was the great actor himself. No expense has been spared in trying to make this film into an unforgettable cinematic experience. “I want audiences to watch it again and again out of sheer curiosity,” says Kamal. If not for the content, at least for this great actor’s untiring efforts to break away from the beaten path, let’s hope the applause touches a deafening crescendo in the movie halls.
S. SHIVA KUMAR
sshivu@yahoo.com
