Arindam Ganguly, OP
Filmmaker Rajesh Touchriver, who made critically-acclaimed movies like In the Name of Buddha, Na Bangaaru Talli, Raktham and many more, will direct his first Odia movie Bullet Raja (not the final title) based on the Patnagarh gift parcel blast case that shocked Odisha recently. After making movies on social and political themes such as conflicts among Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan army and Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF), illicit sex trade, the lives of Naxal rebels, Touchriver is now venturing into crime thriller genre with Bullet Raja. During a recent interaction with Orissa POST , Touchriver discussed in detail about what attracted him to crime thrillers, the regional cinema and other aspects of his filmmaking. Excerpts:
You have made movies in many Indian languages. What attracted you to the Odia industry?
For me, cinema doesn’t have any language – it’s just one visual language. In fact, I don’t believe in the division of the industry. I believe that good films only happen with good content. What attracted me to this movie is the subject – something exclusive and atypical. The film will deal with how an English lecturer makes a bomb and commits the crime. It will also include the story of a police officer tracking the culprit. The plot is just ideal to be a good crime thriller movie.
What is your impression about the Odia industry? How do you compare it with other regional film industries?
I have seen a few Odia movies that are remakes of Telugu and other movies from the South. Very few go for the real stories and this is not true for Odia industry only. The development of any film industry depends on how different stories are told and presented. Other regional film industries like Bengali and Marathi are delivering the content-based films. Budget is another important aspect in filmmaking. One can’t expect to make Baahubaali with shoe-string budget. Right now, the Odia film industry needs content-based stories to sustain it.
How do you perceive commercial and parallel cinema?
There used to be such differences in the past, but now both types of cinema have merged. Now there is only good cinema and bad cinema. Movies like Dangal would have been declared art cinema in the 1980s.
How much money is needed to make a movie?
As I said, a filmmaker has to be practical and realistic in terms of the budget. A producer can’t spend huge amounts just believing that a particular story will also be a hit movie. Besides, there is no shortage of stories in the society. Every day we come across new and interesting stories in the newspapers.
What is your view on the digital platform?
It is a new market and is a good thing. But it is not the sole criteria for good quality stories. People will flock to any media – theatre, digital or TV, if you create good quality movies. It is like dish. If you prepare good food, people will go anywhere to eat it. Similarly, if a film is good, people will watch it.
What you think about star presence in the movie?
Star power helps when the budget is high. Star power helps the movie in the market initially. With the involvement of stars you can collect or recover the expenditure, which may be difficult in the case of casting a new or unfamiliar actor. But good story-telling can make also make a new actor a star.
Your father was a veteran Kathakali artiste and you had had some early training in Kalaripayattu – the martial art of Kerala. Do you have plans to make a dance-based movie?
I have no plans for it yet. But I may make one if I come across a good story.
