The film Panipuri, starring Vaibhav and Akshata in prominent roles releases today. The film is directed by Naveen KP, who explains that the title of the film is inspired by the dish panipuri. “The dish is full of masala. It has a sweet and a tangy flavour along with spices. That is what my film is all about. There is a little bit of comedy, suspense, thriller and romance,” explains the director.
He adds that the word panipuri is also a common code word used by lovers. “That is a word commonly used when the boy and girl want to meet or talk,” he laughs.
Naveen, whose first directorial venture was Yogi-starrer Jinke mari, says he enjoyed making Panipuri, but was upset that the leading ladies of the film were absent from the film’s promotional events. “It hurts. So I have decided never to make a multi-starring film in the future. Even during the shoot it was hard to manage them as they had many issues and felt the other was treated better than them. There was no cooperation between the artistes during the shoot. Yet, they were professionals. Once the cameras went on, they forgot their differences with each other and gave their best,” smiles Naveen, who came into the film world in 2004 after completing his education. He was “fascinated about films and wanted to make a film or get into cricket. I was also a topper in studies and my family wanted me to become an IAS officer. But I gave it all up for my passion for films. I wanted to be an actor, but felt I am more suited to direct,” adds the maker of Panipuri.
Panipuri has been given the ‘A’ certificate and Naveen is disappointed and says, “That certificate was given just because of a bank robbery scene. There was little bloodshed, which I did remove, but the decision was made. There are no gory scenes, nor vulgar language or any pornographic content in my film,” assures Naveen.
Panipuri , which has a song sung by Vijay Prakash, releases on November 17.