Harish Shankar, the maker of the upcoming Ravi Teja starrer Mr Bachchan, is known for his penchant for creating hero-driven action entertainers. Talking about his latest directorial, Harish Shankar reflected on his debut film, Shock (2006), which also starred Ravi Teja. The failure of the 2006 film, he recalls, pushed him to shift his entire focus to making commercial vehicles for stars. He succeeded in his attempts when he made films like Gabbar Singh (2012), a remake of Salman Khan's Dabangg (2010), and Gaddalakonda Ganesh (2019), a remake of Jigarthanda (2014).
Talking about this shift, he further adds, “Shock was a big shock to me because I read Chalam gaaru’s Maidaanam and got inspired to show a subtle, beautiful romance. I was going against the norm because Ravi Teja gaaru was coming right after films like Idiot (2002), and his image was that of an aggressive hero. I showed an emasculated version of a guy who couldn’t even protect his wife. The box-office result of that film shaped the next phase of my career. When I made Mirapakay (2011) again with Ravi Teja gaaru, it became a resounding success. Even if you look at the change in my title style, you’ll understand what I went through as a filmmaker.”
On the idea of heroism and the tagline, ‘The Only Hope,’ in his upcoming film, Mr Bachchan, he says, “The character of my hero is that hope in the tagline. I believe that the pursuit of honesty, by default, is heroic. There is no better heroism than what a sincere person embodies. Imagine, in the 80s, people used to do everything for a few hundred rupees, but one officer refused to take a bribe of lakhs and stood by duty principles. That attracted me. All of us should strive to be honest, but nobody is. That's why, when you actually see an honest person, you see them as a hero.”
Signifying the influence of commercial cinema in his life, the filmmaker reflects, “I grew up in BHEL and we hardly had four theatres. Two were given for Balakrishna gaaru’s films and the other two for Chiranjeevi gaaru’s films. Watching one after the other was my thing. Also, my father is a huge Amitabh Bachchan fan. I caught the influence of commercial cinema from him. Meanwhile, he also introduced me to Yandamuri's novels and Chalam's literature. Watching and reading continuously helped me get confidence in my craft. I worked as a writer and co-director for many uncredited films. Even today, I reckon that I am able to write dialogues like this because I spent my young life reading a lot. Only a reader can write, but the problem is people of today’s generation stopped reading. There’s barely any reading culture left.“
Talking about print media, the Gaddalakonda Ganesh director says, “While I was coming here, I read an interesting quote: 'Print carves stories into history, whereas digital fakes in a click.' Whenever I read any news about me in print, it gives me a greater kick than reading something online. When I was a student, the then-famous magazine Andhrabhoomi had a column for single-page stories. I tried a lot to get one of my stories printed, and finally it happened two years later. Before I got credited as a director on screen, I was proud to see my name on print.”
The Ravi Teja starrer, being a remake of the 2018 Ajay Devgn starrer Raid, has already brought much attention to the film. The 2018 original is based on the true events of the longest IT raid that happened in the 80s. When asked about whether the protagonist was tweaked to fit star Ravi Teja’s image and how the original and its remake differ, Harish explains, “The difference between Raid and Mr Bachchan, is simply in the actors. Ajay Devgn is a serious, intense actor. And he brings that seriousness to his films. Whereas Ravi Teja is known for the energy, charisma, humour and fun he creates on screen. The main character of Bachchan in my film is equal parts Ravi Teja’s charisma and the sincerity of an IT officer. Just because someone is sincere doesn’t mean they can’t have fun in life.”
Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan criticised the decline of morality in hero characters in recent films. He talked about how heroes these days, instead of protecting forests, are cutting down forests and smuggling. When asked about this topic, being a vocal Pawan Kalyan supporter himself, Harish Shankar said, “Kalyan garu is the deputy chief minister now, and he has the right to say what he would like. He has the social responsibility to talk about anything. I don't believe that the influence of cinema on people will last more than a few hours after they watch it. For instance, did you see any youth grabbing an axe and going to forests to smuggle after the release of Pushpa? Even the legendary NTR gaaru played Ravanasura, but you didn’t find people saying how come our hero is playing the character of a man who abducts a woman. Moreover, the crime that happens every day is far more dangerous than the crime portrayed in cinema. This notion that people are attracted to negative things is not my problem to solve. I can’t comment on filmmakers who make serious, socially responsible films. I am here for entertainment.”
Talking about the ‘excessive’ romance in the film, which also stars Bhagyashri Borse, Harish Shankar says, “In the original film, they were a married couple. But if you ask me, a funny writer said, ‘Marriage is the end of love.’ I believe that. I wanted to show a cute love story from the 80s. I feel love in today’s times has become too convenient and boring. Back in our days, if a guy called his girlfriend on a landline, his heart used to tremble with fear. What if her father or somebody else lifts the phone? That thrill is missing in today’s love among the younger generation. Everything is easy. They text their partners and get replies within seconds, whereas for us, even getting to see the girl standing on her balcony was difficult. So, of course, in those challenging times, when two lovers meet after a lot of planning, they would engage in romance. They wouldn’t sit and do bhajan right?”
Finally, adding about his upcoming film, he says, “Mr Bachchan is a complete entertainment package. The songs, the fights and the scenes will have repeat audiences. And you will get to see an energetic Ravi Teja again after many years on the screen. Vintage Ravi Teja will be back for you.”