Hi Sankalp!
Hi…
How did the story of ‘Ghazi’ come up
I went to Annavaram on November 23, 2012. The return train to Hyderabad got delayed so I went to Vizag which was unexpected. That was the first time I saw a submarine and that’s where this story was born.
Is it true that you wanted to make ‘Ghazi’ as an independent film?
Yes. I started ‘Ghazi’ with the idea of making it in Hindi with limited budget and release it on YouTube. For this, I went to Vizag with my production designer (we worked together for ‘Ko Ante Koti’ film) and we checked out the Submarine. Then we came to Hyderabad and erected a set atop a commercial complex near lower Tank Bund. I set a budget of Rs 20 lakhs for this and me along with my friends collected this fund.
How did you meet PVP and Niranjan Reddy?
The budget we had was sufficient only for the set. During this time, I met producer Niranjan Reddy (owner of Matinee Entertainment production house) and through him I met PVP sir during the time of Oopiri. He liked the story and stood by me to take this film to a new range.
But how did you convince Rana?
Rana read the script even before I met him. Incidentally, I was searching for a producer and met Ram Mohan sir. My script reached Rana through him. Later I met Rana and he gave his official consent. Initially, the lead role wasof 45 year old man according to my script. However, I made some changes to make Rana fit into the role and he also slimmed down to get into the skin of this character.
How was cinematographer Madhi helpful to you?
I met Madhie sir for the first time at PVP office. That’s when I narrated the story to him. He liked it so much that he imported special lights from USA for the shooting. You will be stunned looking at his expertise in the form of visuals onscreen.
How useful was senior editor Sreekar’s experience?
Actually Sreekar Prasad sir was the first person to read this script. I can never forget his help in giving the script the final shape. It was he who suggested the names of music director K and sound designer Tapas to me.
A bit about Bollywood actors Kay Kay Menon and Atul Kulkarni
You will be floored looking at their performance, that’s something I can guarantee. You will agree once you watch the film.
How about the dialogue writers?
Actually, I wanted to make this film in Hindi and I wrote the entire script in English. Well, when PVP took over the project, he wanted this film to be made in Telugu along with Hindi. Then I took the help of Gunnam Gangaraju for Telugu version and Hindi version was penned by a talented writer named Abbas. This film went to a new range with their lines.
Have you made the film as you wanted?
I had to do few changes in the first half but I shot the second half exactly the way I wanted. At the end, I am fully satisfied with the output.
Do you believe this will work commercially?
I didn’t start the film with any calculations but I thank producers PVP sir and Niranjan Reddy sir wholeheartedly at this moment. They came forward with a pure intent of making a good film and not with any business calculations.
Did any Hollywood film inspire you for this?
Yes, but I never copied them
What did you study before entering into industry?
I did my computer science engineering from CVSR engineering college and went to Australia for MBA. But I was not keen to do MBA so I did my PG in Fine Arts in the same university. But my parents got worried when they heard this. How will I survive in film industry without any background was their fear.
How did you develop contacts in industry
I set up a computer graphics studio at the beginning. Later, I worked for few small budget and independent movies. During that time, I learnt how to do storyboard using CG which proved to be very useful for me while doing Ghazi. I also did few short films but since they lacked clarity I removed them from Youtube.
Your advice for short film directors!
I will say only onething. "If you believe in something, go for it!"
Any special reason behind choosing this type of subject for debut
When I was studying in Australia, my professor said “Be the first or be the best” that’s why I did India’s first submarine film. Going forward, I will strive to make the first or best movies only.
Details about Yyour next project
I will take some break now and will announce about it soon.
Lastly…who’s your inspiration in film industry?
Mani Ratnam sir…. I have requested Sreekar Prasad sir to show ‘Ghazi’ to Mani sir. If that happens I will be very much happy.