Shankar

Entertainment with meaning
The phenomenal success of Jeyam Manadera catapulted young director Shankar to the big league and now even big stars are showing interest to work with him since he has shrugged off his image of a ‘revolutionary’ filmmaker. The 16-crore blockbuster had Venkatesh playing a real-life character of Jyothi Rao Phule and it moved the critics too. Shankar stuck with the image of a revolutionary maker ever since he made his debut with Encounter, a tale of a doctor turned Naxalite. He followed it up with another hit Srilamulaya, sketching the life a feudal lord who is locked in jail for championing the cause of the downtrodden. Unfortunately, his attempt to handle a typical commercial entertainer in Yamajathakudu bit the dust. But he is back with a bang with Jeyam Manadera discovering the success formula to blend theme and frills. “After entertaining, I would like to put some message in the minds of the audience in the end,” disclosed Shankar. Ready with two scripts, one for a big star and the other for new faces, he spoke to Screen about his career so far....

It seems you have been finally accepted as a commercial filmmaker with the resounding success of Jeyam Manadera?
The film has definitely brought me good recognition, both from the audience and also from the industry. Making a film with a big star always has its advantages since you can reach out to a wider section of the audience. Even the big ‘span’ of the film with its first half shot in Europe also helped. Both the factors established me as a mainstream director. It had been my dream project to make a film about Jyothi Rao Phule and it worked well since it has been well-balanced with other commercial elements.

The film was widely promoted as a commercial entertainer rather than as a real-life story of a historical person like Jyothi Rao Phule. Are you happy about it?
I am definitely happy about the promotion since it was not exactly a biography of Jyothi Rao Phule. It was just an inspiration of the great Maharashtrian leader who fought for social justice and who also felt that bringing in ‘equality’ was more important than freeing India from the Britishers in the 1850’s. According to Dr Ambedkar, the ‘three’ persons who inspired him include Buddha and Jyothi Rao Phule. We took ‘four’ of his issues like teaching Vedas to Dalits and also permitting Dalits into temples. The rest was fiction. Audiences ejoyed both the halves but a few felt that second half was slightly serious. So, in my forthcoming films, I would like to further reduce the ‘theme’.

By reducing the ‘content’ you will join the club of regular commercial filmmakers. Are you not worried about your identity?
I am truly aware of it but I have worked out a formation of 25% story and 75% commercial elements to keep my identity. Jeyam Manadera had more content in comparision. However, in my forthcoming ventures I would put some message in the pockets of the audience after entertaining them. We had four scenes to establish elder Venkatesh but in future we would do it with one or just two scenes without loosing the impact. I hope I would succeed in my new formula.

You had three revolutionary hits while you failed to impress with a full-length entertainer Yamajathakudu. Will you ever attempt a fantasy film?
I do agree that Yamajathakudu failed to live up to expectations but we did put in a lot of hard work in making it. We took up the Yamaloka (hell) backdrop since it was a tested and successful formula but unlike other films we did added new points like a soul crossing the seven seas to reach and also fused graphics to make an authentic fantasy but it didn’t pay off. I would love to dabble in all kinds of genres and themes since I don’t want to confine myself to a particular genre. So I have prepared two subjects— one suitable for a big star and another one for new faces. Either of the two will commence in February depending on the dates of the star.

In Encounter you clearly state that the youth from disturbed areas have no other choice than to become social deviants. Aren’t you sending wrong signals thereby?
I hail from a disturbed area and I have minutely observed the decaying ‘system’. I have seen many intellectuals like doctors and engineers alongwith unemployed youth joining Naxalism. Until the government restores the legitimate rights of the youth and the common man, the youth have no choice than to embrace the movement like in Encounter where a doctor is forced to take up the gun due to the atrocities of the police. Now it is only in the hands of the government to curb it by safeguarding the interests of the poor by sealing the loopholes in the system.

BVSP