Venky Atluri, in this interview, talks about 'Rang De', starring Nithin and Keerthy Suresh. The film will release in theatres on March 26.
'Rang De' is not a rom-com. It's more of a family entertainer. After 'Toli Prema' and 'Mr. Majnu', I wanted to do a film with boy/girl-next-door characters. This film was born from such a thought.
The lead pair are two neighbours, who share a love-hate relationship. When parents compare two kids, it's natural that they grow up to dislike each other. What happens when such a combination goes on to share life in future.
The first half is full of comedy. The second half has a comedy quotient. The film is a rainbow of emotions. That's why the title is 'Rang De'. The last 35 minutes is high on emotions. But there is no melodrama as such. It's a slice-of-life film. I kept it as simple as possible.
There is a love story in the movie. More than that, however, human emotions are the crux. Compared to my first two movies, 'Rang De' has got higher emotional quotient.
Nithin and Keerthy Suresh have trusted the story totally, more than me. That's why they got involved completely. As Arjun and Anu, respectively, they will be quite enjoyable.
When I narrated 'Rang De', I didn't know that Keerthy was doing 'Miss India' and other movies. I only knew about 'Mahanati'. She has done very good movies such as 'Nenu Shailaja' before. The Savitri biopic may have overshadowed the previous films but she is known for bubbly roles.
I considered a couple of heroes before meeting with Nithin for this movie. It was on producer S Naga Vamsi's suggestion that I met him. He has done a movie like this at a time when he is doing serious films like 'Andhadhun' remake and 'Power Peta'. To my surprise, he okayed the subject in the first sitting itself.
PC Sreeram garu is India's best cinematographer. When I met him, he asked me to narrate the story. He loved it and I was surprised. He wanted to read a bound script in English. I told him I will be ready with the English-language script in a month. He began his work after my submission. It's not like the director can relax when a big cinematographer like him is on the job. If Sreeram garu feels that the director is relaxing, he would ask about the next shot immediately. If we could wrap up the shoot pretty fast, it's only because of him.
I like Devi Sri Prasad garu. Some directors get jitters to approach him since he is such a big name. But he made me feel comfortable. 'Emito Idhi' was the first tune he worked on. As expected, the song became a blockbuster. The RR is going to stand out.
