So where has the Vijay - Narayan imbroglio reached? The producer’s council reached a unilateral decision and ordered Vijay to dub for “Chanda” opining that star’s did not have a say regarding the release date of their film.
Vijay is understandably peeved at Narayan going back on his word that he’d release “Chanda” only after “Yuga”, Vijay’s next release had completed fifty days.
“Chandru, the director of ‘Yuga’ is making his debut and I’m concerned about the fact that if ‘Chanda’ affects the film he may not get any more offers. I have no problems because I’ve already signed five films. Ultimately if you see I’ll be the least affected but that’s not the point. The sad thing is that even Narayan is not going to gain from releasing his film with only a week’s gap,” says Vijay.
Meanwhile, he has kept away from dubbing citing health problems. The producer’s council has threatened to ban Vijay for two years. Narayan has also sought protection fearing harm from the star’s fans.
Total indifference
Vijay is also disappointed that none from the actor’s fraternity has come to his support. “I have a long way to go but the amount of grime behind the glamour is unbelievable,” says a philosophical Vijay.
On the career front he’s signed “CM In Love”, produced by Ravi Belagere. He’s grown a moustache and is expected to put on weight for the role in which he impersonates H.D. Kumaraswamy. Then there’s Agni Sreedhar’s next film, based on another extract from his “Dadagiriya Dinagalu” about a youngster from an orthodox Brahmin family turning into a rowdy. His “Yuga” is releasing today.
It’s flabbergasting. Who are these people given the authority to decide which Indian film will represent the country at the Oscars? Are there any guidelines? What is the yardstick? How can an ennui inducing effort like “Ekalavya” which was panned by critics and shunned by the paying public be selected?
There’s not a single thing going for the film in terms of content and if technical finesse was the only factor then why not “Shivaji”? Okay, if it had to be a Hindi film like it is most of the time then why did “Chak De” a superbly crafted film lose out.
It’s a wrong and misplaced notion that the films sent to the Oscars should reflect our ethos and culture. I cannot think of any film in the past year that would have won the coveted statuette but compared to “Ekalavya” I can think of one hundred other better films.
Reluctance
I remember when “Nayagan” was selected Mani Ratnam did not jump in joy but was reluctant. “I’m very clear that it’s a film made for our audiences,” said Mani. In fact, when the films’ producer G.Venkateshwaran and Kamal were on a promotional tour to the
“I have work to do,” was Mani’s answer in his usual incisive style.
