Gautham Menon is one of those versatile filmmakers of South Indian Cinema who redefined feel good films. He gave a new angle to love stories with freshness, youthful aura and strong characterizations. Gautham can also excel in films which deal with action and stunning visuals as well. This director is now producing Courier Boy Kalyan starring Nitin and directed by newcomer Premsai. After an unexpected gap, this film is going to be releasing soon. On that occasion, here is a chitchat with the director cum producer:
Hello Gautham..
Hi..
Please tell us about your upcoming production film Courier Boy Kalyan..
Courier Boy Kalyan is a peculiar film. It deals about a courier boy’s life and how things change dramatically because of one courier he receives. It has a versatile storytelling technique.
What made you get convinced to make this film? Was it because of the director?
Well, it is true. Prem Sai narrated me the storyline and I was quite impressed with his clarity. Interestingly, he executed the film so well and followed his script work perfectly. He is the right guy for this film!
Courier Boy Kalyan was supposed to be released long back. What is the reason behind the delay?
The delay is because of the Tamil version and not the Telugu version. We had issues with Jiiva and Santhanam’s dates for the shooting and that’s why things went out of hand. But I am happy that the film is finally releasing.
Your films often get into the clutches of delays in release. Why do you think so?
I take problem as something which is to be solved but not ranted about. I agree that there are delays but I somehow feel such problems come to me because I have the ability to solve them! As long as I have it, I don’t need to worry about such hurdles.
Will Courier Boy Kalyan have your mark love story?
The film has my mark of action sequences for sure. As for love story, it is totally the director’s vision.
Did you involve in the direction department for this flick?
No. As a director I know how difficult it is if producer involves in everything relating to filmmaking. Creativity and commerciality are two different poles and they should co-exist but not interfere with each other. That is why I gave full freedom to my director.
As a filmmaker, most of your films were either cop movies or love stories. Is there any particular liking for these two genres?
In order to have breathtaking stunts and action sequences, a film with common man as a hero wouldn’t look convincing. However, if it is a cop story there would be ample scope to showcase the hero in various stunts and brilliant action scenes. Coming to love stories, who doesn’t like making them? I only focus on making love stories with my own style!
You often make bilinguals of most of your projects. Isn’t it strenuous to reshoot the same scene with two versions?
Not at all! Moreover, I love to showcase the same scene with two different perspectives. I am lucky to get dedicated actors who enjoy the process as much as I do. Hence, I never felt it as troublesome job.
Speaking of bilinguals, will there be any difference between Telugu version of Courier Boy Kalyan to the Tamil version?
Yes. The Tamil version has more scope for comedy because of Santhanam and Arya combination. Coming to Telugu version, Nithiin’s biggest strength is love stories and dances. That is why we focused more on them.
Nithiin’s films usually have Pawan Kalyan related dialogues or sequences as he is a huge fan. Will Courier Boy Kalyan follow the same formula?
The title Courier Boy Kalyan itself was suggested by Powerstar himself. Prem, myself and the producer are huge fans of Powerstar! So, yes! There are few scenes in the film where Nitin refers to Pawan.
Your film’s screenplay is quite novel and fresh compared to your contemporaries. What is the secret behind it?
I hit the sets the moment 80% of my script is ready. I don’t wait until the entire script is ready with each and every scene. It would be surprising to know that I never wrote climax for my films until I started filming on sets! For Ye Maaya Chesave, producer Manjula requested to have a happy ending contrasting to the sad ending in Tamil version. As the producer knows best about market conditions and audience’s taste, I catered to her interest.
Do you have plans to work with sensational stars like Mahesh Babu or Pawan in the near future?
I would love to work with them because I regularly follow Telugu Cinema and meet one star or the other almost every week. All these years, I waited for the right time and script to do a film with a big Tollywood hero once again. I am pleased to say that in a week, I’d be announcing such a project.
How is Naga Chaitanya’s project coming up?
It is a thrilling film with a brilliant love story. I'm confident that the film would definitely win the hearts of audience.
Okay..thank you and wish you the best for near future!
Thanks a lot!