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Sarkar Raj
Everyone has a mouth, so mutterings will materialize. Just don’t want my mouth to do the job of my lower orifice. So cautiously, but with full belief, I write. Sarkar Raj is a good film. Its however, nowhere near greatness that it could have achieved. The justifying and obvious ending is one reason. The ‘Coen brothers’ inspired killer, but in this case the almost industrious ease with which he materialises is another. The entire dissipation and disappearance of society is another. The obvious ‘Nagre’s families’ deaths and the mindlessness of it just to enhance the audience’s sense of shock is yet another. To cut to the chase.
2 years have passed. From Sarkar sr. we hear on his birthday that Sarkar jr. has beaten him and his career graph with sheer audacity, industriousness and resilience. We see Abhishek having become harder, meaner and more …

Scene 1: This Film Found its Makers

I want to, in all humility, assert upfront that Mahayoddha Rama isnt just an idea. ‘Different’ as the film makers cliche goes, its actually a deliverance in the way it formed itself. From Abhimanyu Singh’s mouth, to my head, from something less sublime and subtle to being more rooted. ‘A film on Rama versus Ravana. Cutting all other things out’, said Manyu, rolling his eyes and jumping on his seat, seeming to get visibly excited. That really was a magic moment for both of us. Where others would beg to differ, believing that it’ll be the Ramayana re rendered and wonder what the hell was the excitement about, he and I felt, ‘Yeah, there was immense possibility in this way of rendition!’ At least on paper. And that’s how Mahayoddha Rama, The warrior Prince, was born.

The next few weeks was a flurry of …

SCENE 1: The Idea.
What I remember at the outset is that it was a really frustrating day. Television production, for the uninformed is the only thing that compares to hitting yourself against a sturdy wall. Day after day. Occasionally the wall budges, but mostly, your head and body gets stronger.

Manyu ( aka, Abhimanyu Singh, CEO Contiloe Films, CEO Contiloe Pictures, Owner and Boss) had been toying with the idea of making a film ever since we had pulled off a fairly nice job on the packaging of Sssssh… Phir Koi Hai, a horror series, all done using the green backlot technique, using tremendous CG and VFX work, a la SIN CITY, 300, etc. Unfortunately(for me!) we had just shelved and shut down a very frustrating 5 weeks of script development for our ‘to be first film’ Samudri Lootere! So I was in Manyu’s office and his never …