Our heroes understand comedy better than Hollywood stars: TG Keerthi Kumar

Chaari 111, the upcoming action comedy film, stands apart for a reason. It features seasoned comedian Vennela Kishore as the protagonist, the ‘hero’ of the film. Director TG Keerthi Kumar, however, believes that despite being lauded for his comic prowess, Vennela Kishore remains underrated overall as an actor. Keerthi Kumar adds, “If you see films like Oke Oka Jeevitham and Goodachari, there are many serious sequences where Kishore sir delivered an excellent performance. He is just not a brilliant comedian. He is a brilliant actor who excels in comedy.”

Keerthi Kumar clarifies that the casting of Vennela Kishore was irreplaceable for the making of Chaari 111. Keerthi states, “I am a Vennela Kishore fan, and I had thought about doing a film like Chaari 111 with him for a long time. The script was written with Kishore sir in mind – If he had said no, this project would never have taken off.”

Keerthi Kumar believes that leading stars of Telugu cinema have always had heroes with a better sense of comedy even when compared to Hollywood stars. He elaborates, “Actors like Balakrishna and Chiranjeevi, their comic timing is amazing. I want to work with those kind of heroes in an action comedy.”

When compared to Hollywood, we have produced only a limited number of action comedies. Keerthi Kumar, however, begs to differ. He gave the examples of filmmaker Srinu Vaitla and older Chiranjeevi films like Rudranetra (1989) and Chantabbai (1986) that blended action and comedy. The director even points out that he named the spy agency in his story Rudranetra, as an ode to the 1989 Chiranjeevi film. Keerthi Kumar adds, “Even SS Rajamouli sir’s Maryada Ramanna (2010) was an action comedy. Our filmmakers might not have labelled many of these films under the genre during promotions, but they were always making action comedies.”

Keerthi Kumar candidly admits being heavily inspired by films like the Pink Panther franchise and Johnny English while crafting his script for Chaari 111. The director notes how casting for films of this genre becomes particularly crucial because the script is designed around the lead actors. Keerthi Kumar added, “In our film, Kishore's character irritates his boss to no end. I wanted a serious-looking actor for the role and that's why I went with Murali Sharma who is perfect for it – The more serious he gets, the funnier a scene becomes.”

Keerthi Kumar, who made his directorial debut with the quirky rom-com Malli Modalaindi (2022), is planning to expand Chaari 111 into a full-blown cinematic universe. He says, “If things work out, we will expand this into a universe. I am planning to bring more heroes. Whatever film I do, it will remain a spy action comedy universe.” Keerthi Kumar also expresses a willingness to explore heroine-driven films in his universe, “One just needs to find the correct one-liner for these movies – Then maybe things can work out.”

Before entering the film industry, Keerthi Kumar worked as an editor for TV commercials and corporate films. Keerthi Kumar states that his experience in the ad film industry taught him the importance of visual detailing which he tries to retain even in his filmmaking process. The Malli Modalaindi director explains, “Ad film writing is completely based on the client and his demands. Be it art, lighting or cinematography, we had to be very detailed in our work, thankfully it came in handy when I made my first feature.”

The director also speaks about how he used his editing experience while writing Chaari 111, “After I finish the script, I try to trim the film on script level itself, instead of shooting portions which will most likely be removed later. I also send the script to my editor who then gives me his opinion on portions that can be removed.”

The director further spoke about the extensive pre-production process before they began shooting Chaari 111. He elaborates, “It’s the filmmaker’s responsibility nowadays to be very particular about pre-production. I had a brilliant and experienced technical team. They took care of most of the execution, so my focus remained on writing.”

Chaari 111, besides having an unusual comic protagonist, differs from regular mainstream films in many ways. The Vennela Kishore starrer doesn’t have any song sequences in the film. However, Keerthi Kumar believes that the blend of stunts, action and comedy will work for the audience. He adds, “We have tried to create a balance, by having a villain and conflict along with comedy."

While Keerthi Kumar candidly admits the possibility of Chaari 111 opening to low figures on day 1,  he believes word of mouth can do wonders. “Word of mouth is powerful. As a director, I am depending on it,” he says.