On the surface, Patang might look like a frothy rom-com entertainer. But the element of sports—kite-flying— is very integral to the idea. In fact, that was the origin point for writer-director Praneeth Prattipati, who makes his directorial debut with the film. Praneeth recalls, “I was fascinated with kites, though I didn’t know how to fly one. One day, at a friend’s house on Sankranthi, I saw the sky was filled with kites. It was a vibe, and I thought, ‘Why haven’t we ever made a film on this? We watch it every year; it’s our sport, our culture. We make films on everything, so why not this?’ That’s how the idea kicked in.”
At the same time, it’s the element of kite-flying competition as the backdrop that also brought so many challenges for the team to make the film in the first place. He adds, “My friend Vamsi Pujit (who also plays one of the leads in Patang) and I began pitching a film together. It was 2019. We pitched it to many producers, and everyone was gung-ho about the idea until we began discussing VFX budgets. After COVID came, there was greater worry among producers about giving considerable budgets to a film with newcomers.” Praneeth recalls how his friend Nani put together the project and got investors. “He didn’t compromise on anything, and we finished shooting in early 2024.”
That’s when the real challenge began for Patang team, though, as Praneeth shares how he really underestimated the VFX process. “We didn’t know what we were getting into. Especially with the kites' visuals, we had no reference point,” he adds. The overall VFX process took 14 months, Praneeth recalls, adding, “After seeing the footage, the studio doubled the quotation. We eventually hired Kishore, a freelancer from Vijaywada, who did the kite CG for us. Every time we faced a delay, we thought, ‘Okay, we will release it next month.’ But this pattern would happen every time, where at every stage of CG work, we underestimated the time required for the process. And yet, we didn’t compromise on anything. Until we were satisfied, we didn’t leave it. From Manja to kites, it is all CG in our film.”
While the VFX challenges came as a surprise, there was one thing Praneeth was sure about: getting the female protagonist right. By a simple glance at the trailer, one can tell the film also explores a complicated love triangle, built around two lovers and a boy who cannot seem to understand that he has been rejected. Praneeth elaborates, “Preethi’s character will be a surprise. The best part is that the drama comes from the characters. That’s why they are tricky, and there’s a fine line that needs to be maintained while portraying them. I could've made a film like Baby with the same script, but I don’t want to, because we have to deal with it sensibly.”
Praneeth explains further, “If we see a girl in an equation with two boys at once, we instinctively think negatively of her. However, people should empathise with her. That empathy comes from good writing and casting. You cannot hate the character.” The debutant director talks at length about why Aishwarya’s character was so crucial. “I kept rewriting some scenes, tweaking little things even after finishing the first schedule. There should be innocence in her character, and that was my priority.”
Praneeth also talks about how they accidentally ended up making a 'Gen Z' film. He notes, “When I penned the script, it was in an experimental zone. My goal was always to show the journey of three flawed characters. Now, young people are more accepting of ideas like this, where they relate to their flaws, instead of labeling them as ‘negative.’ When I wrote the script, the term ‘Gen Z’ was not in vogue; now it has become more relevant. That’s an advantage for us.”
Meanwhile, another tough road lies ahead for Patang, as it competes with half-a-dozen other films on the same weekend — Champion, Dhandoraa, Shambhala, Bad Girlz, and Eesha. Pointing out where Patang stands apart, Praneeth says, “We were aware of the competition. What reinstated our confidence in our film was its genre because there is no other fun entertainer this weekend. Even if all other films are great, we’ll have that edge. We just hope the word-of-mouth spreads well enough,” he says.
Talking about his growing up years, Praneeth recalls, “Even in school, I just wanted to stay home and watch films. I didn’t have too many friends, and films were my escape. When I was in 10th grade, I would make short films with my cousin, using a Digicam.” Growing up as this introverted film buff, Praneeth was sure of becoming a filmmaker at that age itself, and didn't have any backup plans. He did an animation course right after finishing school. “I could not see myself in a 9-5 job ever. So I began my pursuit of direction right there.”
Being an introvert, Praneeth talks about how ‘people management’ was one of his major learnings as he went about making Patang. He adds, “I don’t like people calling me ‘sir,’ but sometimes people take you for granted otherwise. It gets tricky. However, one must be smart enough to understand people and deal with each of them accordingly. I sure hope to implement this in my next film.”
And while it remains to be seen whether Patang stands out among a plethora of releases, Praneeth has already begun working on his next script, which is a pure comedy. Talking about his early years, Praneeth recalls enjoying comedy movies the most, especially many of the Kamal Haasan-Crazy Mohan collaborations. “I also picked up a bit of Tamil with these films. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen Panchathantiram and Michael Madana Kamarajan. If you think Patang is funny, I am sure my next film will be ten times funnier,” he concludes.