A director working on a film amidst the lockdown — sounds interesting, right? Filmmaker Guruprasad says he has the script ready to shoot such a film. The director of Mata and Eddelu Manjunatha is planning to make the film in his strongest genre, comedy, and finish the shooting at his current location. The director is now hoping to tie up with producers to begin production. “I am an entertainer myself, I don’t need an artiste to make people laugh,” says the filmmaker, who has been going live on Facebook every day to engage with his audience.
If the situation was normal, Guruprasad would have commenced shooting for Jaggesh-starrer Rangayaka, under the banner of Vikyath Chitra. “The script is ready and I was in the process of finalising the cast for Ranganayaka before the lockdown. I will take it forward once we’re back to our normal life, and have the freedom to walk out of the house,” he says.
Luckily, Guruprasad has the camera and the editing suite with him at his home to make the film he calls his experiment. “I want to prove that we can make a film during the lockdown period.”
Though he is reluctant to reveal much about the plot, Guruprasad states that it will be a two-hour laugh riot, made with a limited budget but interesting release plan. “Viewers can experience the film on an app, by paying just hundred rupees. The app is in the works, and more details will be shared once it is up online,” he says.
According to Guruprasad, app-based films will be the future, “In the next three years, there is going to be a high demand for films made for streaming apps. Going forward, I am planning to release a few of my films under my distribution banner. This way, I won’t need a theatre, a distributor or middlemen. All I need is my audience to whom I want to provide entertainment at a low-price,” he says.
However, the director doesn’t rule out theatres and says it all depends on genres, actors and whether it needs to be seen on the silver screen. “Action, suspense-thriller, something that we call a larger-scale experience, can be enjoyed in theatres. My forte is comedy, for which I need good performances and a couple of close up shots, not grand locations. An app is enough to consume those films,” he says, adding, “Just to note, today, mobiles have eaten up theatres. There is a certain section of filmmakers who invest crores and for them, cinema is meant for the silver screen. I don’t want to do disrupt that. My plan is to create an alternate avenue. Those who are interested in my vision can reach me at directorguruprasad@gmail.com."