'Action films demand five times the budget of a love story': Praveen Sattaru

Director Praveen Sattaru believes in straying from the beaten path and is confident that he will raise the stakes, once again, with his upcoming film, The Ghost. “I make a film only when I like the story and when I am convinced that the audience, too, will like it,” says the techie-turned-filmmaker, who is best known for directing the National Award-winning film, Chandamama Kathalu (2014). Starring Nagarjuna Akkineni and Sonal Chauhan, The Ghost will hit the theatres on October 5.

While he may have several romantic entertainers—Life Before Wedding, Imsai Arasi and Routine Love Story—in his kitty, the director admits to having a penchant for action films just as much. According to him, the genre lends itself to exploration beyond the adrenaline-pumping sequences. He believes action can be woven seamlessly into the story, like he claims to have done in The Ghost.

From logistics to the sheer physical effort, directing an actioner is not easy business. For instance, a single dummy bullet costs `100, Praveen reveals. “Imagine how expensive it gets to shoot these sequences,” he says, adding, “Action films demand five times the budget of a love story. A hardcore film like The Ghost has guns, chases, blasts and major stunts. There’s a lot of risk assessment and recruitment of many skilled professionals as well.”

The USP of The Ghost, not surprisingly, is Nagarjuna. “When I first met Nagarjuna garu, the visual that occurred to me was his intensity in RGV’s Shiva, and other films such as Antham and Rakshana. I have always seen him as a man with intense eyes and The Ghost is my effort to bring back his charm.”

Praveen is all praises for Chauhan as well. The Pandaga Chesko actor came on board after the film’s original female lead, Kajal Aggarwal, opted out due to her pregnancy. The role required her to perform stunts, something she hadn’t done before. “While undergoing training in wrestling, kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the film, Chauhan “broke a toe and suffered bruises, but shot without any breaks”.
Nagarjuna, too, was trained in samurai sword fighting, the director adds. “He took online classes from Bangkok-based martial arts experts in Krav Maga and also received Katana training,”he says.

In the film, both Nagarjuna and Chauhan essay the role of InterPol agents, who “possess a sense of attached detachment”. Both their characters are symbolic, shares Praveen. “Nagarjuna is characterised by fire as he behaves like a raging bull. Sonal, on the other hand, is ice. She is calm, emotionally intelligent, and stronger than the hero,” he says. What happens when they come together? We’ll find out in three days.