Thursday, June 13, 2013

Basavanna starts on a low note

Real Star, Upendra's next film, Basavanna, had the mahurat pooja recently but, without much fanfare. The pooja took place at Dodda Ganapati Temple on Bull Temple Road in Bangalore on Thursday. No media was invited for the event which turned out to be a hush-hush affair.

What is interesting to know is that, Upendra has postponed his directorial Upendra 2, and instead is concentrating on two other films - Brahma with R Chandru and Basavanna for producer CR Manohar. While, the shoot for Brahma has already started, there was no information on the start date of Basavanna which is being directed by Srinivasa Raju. It came as quite a surprise to many when the mahurat took place.

Incidently, the shoot of the period film Mahasharana Haralayya, in which Ramesh Aravind plays Lord Basaveshwara also starts today. Upendra's film however, is a contemporary film named after the social reformer which has created a controversy even before its launch.

ಉಪೇಂದ್ರ ವಿವಾದಾತ್ಮಕ ಚಿತ್ರ ಬಸವಣ್ಣ ಆರಂಭ

ರಿಯಲ್ ಸ್ಟಾರ್ ಉಪೇಂದ್ರ ಮುಖ್ಯಭೂಮಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಬಸವಣ್ಣ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಶೂಟಿಂಗ್ ಆರಂಭವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಪೋಸ್ಟರ್ ಭಾರಿ ವಿವಾದಕ್ಕೆ ಗುರಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದು ಗೊತ್ತೇ ಇದೆ. ದಂಡುಪಾಳ್ಯ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಆಕ್ಷನ್ ಕಟ್ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸರಾಜು ಅವರ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂಡಿಬರುತ್ತಿರುವ ಚಿತ್ರ ಇದಾಗಿದೆ. ಬಸವನಗುಡಿ ಬುಲ್ ಟೆಂಪಲ್ ರಸ್ತೆಯ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣಪತಿ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಮುಹೂರ್ತ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮಗಳ ಅನುಪಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೆರವೇರಿದೆ. ಬಸವಣ್ಣ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ರಾಗಿಣಿ ದ್ವಿವೇದಿ ನಾಯಕಿ ಎನ್ನಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ಹರಿಕಾರ ಬಸವಣ್ಣ ಅವರ ಕುರಿತಾದದ್ದು ಅಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತವೆ ಮೂಲಗಳು.

ತಮ್ಮ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೂ ಬಸವಣ್ಣನವರಿಗೂ ಯಾವುದೇ ಸಂಬಂಧವಿಲ್ಲ. ತಮ್ಮ ಚಿತ್ರದ ನಾಯಕನ ಹೆಸರು ಬಸವಣ್ಣ ಅಷ್ಟೇ. ಚಿತ್ರದ ಪೋಸ್ಟರ್ ಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ಬಸವಣ್ಣನವರಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧ ಕಲ್ಪಿಸುವುದು ಸರಿಯಲ್ಲ. ಚಿತ್ರ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಆದ ಮೇಲೆ ವಿವಾದಿತ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶಗಳಿದ್ದರೆ ಆಗ ಮಾತನಾಡಿ. ಈಗಲೇ ಚಿತ್ರಕಥೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡುವುದು ಬೇಡ ಎಂದಿದ್ದರು ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸರಾಜು. ಇನ್ನು ಉಪೇಂದ್ರ ಅವರು ಆರ್ ಚಂದ್ರು ಅವರ 'ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ' ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲೂ ಬಿಜಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅವರದೇ ಸ್ವಂತ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರಬೇಕಾಗಿದ್ದ 'ಉಪ್ಪಿ 2' (ಉಪ್ಪಿಟ್ಟು) ಚಿತ್ರದಿಂದ ಸದ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಅವರು ವಿರಮಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಬಸವಣ್ಣ ಹಾಗೂ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳ ಬಳಿಕ ಅವರ ಹೋಂ ಬ್ಯಾನರ್ ಚಿತ್ರ ಸೆಟ್ಟೇರಲಿದೆ.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Brahma team to shoot in Malaysia

Brahma, the upcoming bi-lingual film, will be shot in the exotic locations of Malaysia. The movie, which has Upendra and Pranitha Subash in the lead roles, is directed by R Chandra.

According to reports, the scene in which the hero is looking for the heroine will be shoot in Malayasia along with the fight sequences. The crew, which recently shot in Mysore, is likely to camp in Malaysia for at least 12 days before heading back to Bangalore. The director, who is basking in the success of Charminar, has signed Gurukiran to compose tracks for the film. The film also has Bullet Prakash, Nassar, Sayyaji Shinde and Rangayana Raghu in significant roles. Upendra is playing the role of a 14 the century warrior and a present day guy, it is said.

The project is made at the cost of Rs 30 crore and the film is about 20 percent historical and 80% modern, it is said.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

'Expect the unexpected' -- Brahma

After the success of Charminar, director R Chandru has not wasted much time. He has kick started his next project with none other than ‘Real Star’ Upendra. The actor-director combo has already become the talk of the town and expectations are soaring high.

Pegged to be a bilingual, the movie is titled Bramha and going by the first look of the film, one would assume that it is a mythological or historical movie. The director immediately clarifies that this scene is just the starting of the film. “It’s a contemporary story. But it begins in a different way, which is why we got Upendra to dress like a king,” adds Chandru, without revealing much about the storyline.

But what is interesting was how Chandru and Upendra teamed up for the film.

“After the screening of Charminar, Upendra and I were discussing my work. And he suddenly told me that he would love to work with me. That was like music to my ears because I was working on a script keeping him in mind. When I narrated it to him, he was on board,” he says.

Chandru reveals that it is a big-budget movie. “There are going to be a lot of expectations from fans and the industry and I don’t want to disappoint anyone. So, I am leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we have the best of everything for the film. In fact, we are now building a unique courtroom set at Kanteerava Studio worth Rs 14 lakh,” he says. Chandru is quick to add that the real hero of the film is the screenplay. “The entire movie is based on the screenplay, not on my style of work or Upendra’s. I feel people can expect the unexpected from us,” he adds. Having just returned from Mysore after a 15-day shoot, Chandru says that everyday is an experience working with the ‘Real Star’.

“Though Upendra is a director himself, in this movie, he has been nothing but an actor. He has given me the freedom to picturise my vision and has even told me many times that he likes the way I work, which is a huge compliment coming from someone like him,” he adds.

Ask him if he’s worried about people comparing Bramha to his previous films and he says, “Not at all. I always face each film as a new one.

Generally, I completely disconnect with my previous work so that I can bring in a new perspective to the current project.”

The movie also stars Praneeta, Nassar, Rangayana Raghu, ‘Bullet’ Prakash and Sayyaji Shinde in important roles. Gurukiran will score music for the film.