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People crave for potboilers
‘Naa Baangaru Talli’ is a bilingual film in Telugu and Malayalam. The film received rave honours at the 61st National Film Awards. It was after a gap of 25 years that a Telugu feature film made such a big name.
Despite garnering praise at international festivals and winning three National Awards at the 61st National Film Awards, ‘Naa Baangaru Talli’, directed by Rajesh Touchriver longed to reach theatres. The movie now has finally seen light at the end of the tunnel and will be released on November 21. The lead actress Anjali Patil, who won a national award for the same movie, interacts with Hyderabad Hans on the journey of making the movie and how tough it was to enact the role of a girl caught in the trafficking racket
‘Naa Baangaru Talli’ is a bilingual film in Telugu and Malayalam. The film received rave honours at the 61st National Film Awards. It was after a gap of 25 years that a Telugu feature film made such a big name. The film won the ‘Best Regional Feature film in Telugu’, ‘Best Music’ and a ‘Special Mention’ for actress Anjali Patil. The movie narrates real life story of a father and daughter, caught in the world of human sex trafficking. Anjali Patil, who plays the character Durga in the film, is quite elated on the release of the movie
After Vijayashanti, you received the National Award for a Telugu film. How do you feel about the honour?
I am quite happy and I feel great. It was Vijayashanti who got the Best Actress National Award in Telugu before me. I remember watching the movie ‘Tejaswini’ of hers. I never thought that I will get the award. It fills me with positive energy.
The film is in Telugu and Malayalam. How did you cope with the languages?
Yeah, language was a problem. It was difficult for me because it’s not my mother tongue and I am from Nasik. But I understood my role and expressed it as the story is full of emotions. I don’t think there is a need for a language to communicate as emotions are universal.
What was the most challenging part of the film’s shooting?
Anything which is beyond my capacity is challenging. I want to share an incident. Once during Diwali, I was travelling all alone in a bus from Pune to Nasik. At around 12.15 am while I was sleeping, a fellow passenger put his hand on my back. Though I slapped him, he acted as if he was asleep and didn’t budge at all. Luckily a couple saw me and I explained the incident. I was shivering and angry and they offered me a jacket. If a small touch by that man was itself a bad experience, can you imagine what would have happened to the real Durga? To portray Durga was difficult for me. I wanted to justify the role. Expressing those emotions was difficult. More than the subject, the script was demanding. It is based on a true story and the tale is gripping. The character had a lot of shades. To perform it was a challenge and I took up that challenge.
What do you look for before selecting a film--director or script?
Obviously it’s the script. Though the director is important for the film, the script will present me and my acting. A script is the foundation for the film. What was your experience working with Rajesh Touchriver and co-producer Dr Sunitha Krishnan I was amazed by Sunitha’s work and efforts. It was mind blowing. Rajesh is a great director and I feel that script is the identity of the director.
Do you want to continue with art house movies?
This film is not an art film. It’s a commercial thriller. Yes, I would like to do something that would surprise everybody. Not only an art film. I want to challenge myself. I want to keep it balanced.
It has taken a long time for the film to release in theatres
Yes, it is sad and I think the national and international awards which we won ensured that the movie finally gets to release in theatres. I feel that people only want entertainment but don’t want to watch movies based on real incidents. May be after this movie, they will start understanding the concept.
The director’s cut
What prompted you to make the movie?
My wife Sunita always used to narrate about what a girl goes through. So we thought of having this as a theme for the film. We talked to many people and collected rare incidents of harassment against a girl and then made the movie. This true story inspired me a lot.
It is sad that the film took a long time to release in theatres. What was the reason for delay?
May be the lack of a star cast. Nowadays, people want to watch big stars and big banner movies. After winning the jury award, people now want to watch the movie.
