Ee Nagaraaniki Emaindi is a rare buddy comedy in Telugu cinema. If the trip to Goa reminds you of Dil Chahta Hai and the drunken stupor and the ensuring madness of The Hangover, director Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam averts the trap by choosing characters that you are likely to find around you in film-loving circles. No, scratch that. Film-passionate circles is more like it.
Walk into a multiplex on a Friday morning, not to watch the ‘mass’ movies but the director-driven ones, and you’ll find aspiring filmmakers/actors like the four protagonists. You can spot them from a distance thanks to the occasionally lost look or an unkempt beard. They’ll cheer any good cinematic move as the film unfolds and in the intermission and after the screening, converse about the editing, cinematography and character arcs in a way only they can, punctuating it with a few insider jokes.
The four characters in Ee Nagaraaniki… don’t wear their filmmaking aspirations on their sleeve. One of them drifts towards a lucrative career and life prospect while another hides behind wayfarers even indoors, unable to get a grip over his personal and professional life. The spark that’s required for filmmaking shows up now and then. And Goa, by the way, is a favourite jaunt among makers of short films.
Tharun Bhascker presents a ringside view of the world of aspirants who take the short film route to land a feature film. The observations of their madcap ways perhaps stem from his own journey and observing others around him. There’s the unmistakable hat tip to Gautham Menon, a remark on producers who interfere in the creative process and the unflinching stance of a new script writer/director.
Reverential biopic
Of late, we’ve had a bunch of movies set in the film industry. Hindi cinema has the Sanjay Dutt biopic Sanju while Telugu cinema has had Mahanati. Nag Ashwin’s reverential biopic that celebrates Savitri, the actor and the person, also gives us insights into the studios and filmmaking process of yore, from a respectful stance. It doffs its hat to stalwart directors L V Prasad and K V Reddy, and lyricists and actors of the era. There’s also a hint of the casting process and power games of the time — for instance at the mention of how Savitri replaced Sowcar Janaki in Devadasu.
Spoofs and satires
A few years ago, there were spoofs on contemporary cinema and its clichés. C S Amudhan’s Tamil comedy Tamizh Padam (2010) showed the way and Telugu cinema tried something similar with Sudigadu (2012), though not hitting the right notes. Amudhan’s team is now ready with Tamizh Padam 2. Its trailer hints at the fun in store — no one will be spared and yet, it’s all in good humour.
When the humour cloak is used well, it can add texture to a romance, like in Sammohanam. Through Naresh’s character, a lot is discussed — Telugu cinema preferring to cast heroines from Mumbai while their dialogues are faithfully rendered and polished by local dubbing artistes, the trend of casting Mumbai-based villains, over-the-top dialogues in mass films… It also touches upon the casting couch phenomenon and perceptions outsiders have of the film industry. The fun isn’t over before Naresh delivers the final salvo — if guns do the talking in Hindi films centred on the Mumbai underworld, knives hold forth here. A Mumbai-based character can’t feign ignorance; hasn’t he seen Telugu films dubbed into Hindi and telecast on satellite channels?
Sammohanam also critiques a few unethical practices such as splicing off an actor’s scenes after using his house as location for free, websites thriving on click-bait headlines and wanting their reviews to make or mar a film’s prospects in the international market. The proposed website’s name uthuthi.com says it all.
Insider views
Watching these films, especially the ones that present a somewhat insider view of the industry, I’ve sometimes wondered if the jokes would be lost on others. While the Savitri biopic triggered renewed interest in the golden era of cinema, Sammohanam’s jokes are being received well by the audience. As for Ee Nagaraaniki, it’s a bit early to declare the verdict.