Why 99?
Why 99?
From time to time people – media, filmmakers, friends – have all asked me this question about the title of my latest film.
There are many reasons why this film is called 99. First and most obvious one being that the film is set in 1999. The other reason (being filmmakers, we like to go beyond the obvious and have abstract explanations, don’t we?) is that it is about people who feel like they’re stuck at 99 runs in life, just short of making that elusive century. Then there’s the playful reason which most viewers of the film are likely to miss – because, if the film is gripping, they may not be counting – that all the money in the film totals to 99 lakhs (which was a lot of money for 1999, you have to admit).
There was a recent article in TOI about film titles being numbers and it seemed to suggest that numbers for titles attract attention and generate curiosity. Now that’s a good enough reason for having that title, one would argue.
As I grapple with the dilemma of which answer sounds the smartest, it occurs to me that maybe there’s more to this question, “Why 99?”
As in “Why are we making 99?”
99 is a crime-comedy. Raj and I (directors) like crime-comedies. They are a lot of fun to watch, people remember quotes from them forever, and they’re cool! And there aren’t that many good ones around.
But then, there’s no fun in making just another crime-comedy, don’t you think? By its very nature crime-comedy tends to be the least respected genre, only the really good ones get any respect of any sort. How many crime-comedies are there in your list of Top 100 films?
So we were convinced the script needs more. And we found the perfect element. Historical-fiction! Well, it’s not in the same league as Munich et al, but in our own fun way we have managed to tie in fact and fiction. And at the end of the film most viewers will not be able to tell what part was fact and what part fiction. :-)
I think it is very important to adhere to the one basic rule when making any film. The script is always king. Everything else in the film serves the script. Style is welcome, but not at the cost of substance. With this in mind we set out to make 99.
Coming from a background of making independent films in the US, the very process of making a mainstream Hindi film with stars involved was quite challenging. At the same time there was also a certain excitement and energy that comes with making a full-on Bollywood film. And the knowledge that a wide release is a certainty, as opposed to ‘eventual dream’ does wonders to the psyche. More about the journey from FLAVORS to 99 in my next.
Now that 99 is almost ready and about to hit theaters soon, I thought this would be the perfect time to share my thoughts on the genesis of the film. The trailers of the film are available on the web, do check it out and share your thoughts on this space.
A note about the author – just a few lines to help the reader understand the context of this article. Krishna DK, along with directing partner Raj Nidimoru, and writing partner Sita Menon, has written and directed 99. It’s produced by People Pictures and is slated for release in May 2009 (www.99thefilm.com). The previous film by this team was the Indo-American film FLAVORS, which had a worldwide theatrical release in 2004.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
i m waiting for this one just cuz ‘Patrick’ of ECKLL is back! I dont care if the rest of the movie lets me down. Ye network… ^**&^%^&**
Of course Cyrus Broachasaurus – The Maximus Hillarious is there too! I am sold out sirjee!!!
True, Numeric titles are a special category in Hindi film titles!
Eager for the release!
All the best
Cheers!
~uh~
Hi krishna
I just saw the trailer and i thought it was hilarious. The treatment does remind me a lot of Guy Ritchie like Snatch or Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels sort of a thing… I think this movie will be one to be watched out for…
Will watch for Boman Irani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Cyrus and….Raja Sen!
the trailer is awesome!!
Reminds me of Snatch not storywise but themewise…..Cyrus B is the funny one here and then Kunal K, atleast from the trailer…interesting film…
I liked Flavors! It was quite enjoyable. Looking forward to this one and hope you guys better your previous effort!
Loved the trailer! Eagerly awaiting for the film…hopefully the producer/multiplex issue gets resolved and your film gets a good release. If so then the film will do well.
PS It also kinda reminded me of Bluffmaster…
great trailer man.can’t wait to see the film.
and about a crime comedy in top hundred i’d say In Bruges is a film that deserves to be in top 100
I had a rather unenthused read of this particular post. And today I chanced upon the video ‘Delhi Destiny’.
It made me smile. With glee. You know that childlike happiness you get when the cast really bowls you over. Last time I got that was when watching Rang De Basanti.
I hope the whole movie is as good as this very cheerful video.
I am putting up the video on my blog. So that even the visitors over there can smile.
and I must say, really kick ass website. Very user friendly and the cast page is really nicely done.
Krishna DK: saw an article abt u n Raj in TOI, and immediately showed it to my wife telling her abt ur article on 99. expecting it to do well eagerly, most coz of Vinod Khanna. i think he deserves much more in his second innings than wht he has got (in films, not in politics, btw)
When is the music releasing???? I need it BADLY!!!
Gopi, that Delhi Destiny song, indeed, is a cracking song. Aaahaa – Haaa – Aaaahaa – Haaa – Aaahaaa! An acoustic type of song! Sort of Rang De Basant – ish in nature, well, that is cos of Delhi connection. You know, like in the mould of DCH… I mean.. it is an urbane Hindi song. The new genre of Hindi Music is getting popular & better. It is becoming a good year for music. The song is on a constant loop!