Express News Service
Seven years after Kazhugu, one of their first hits, Krishna and Bindu Madhavi come together for its sequel, Kazhugu 2, that’s getting released today. The duo, who look dramatically different from how they look in this film, disagree that Kazhugu 2, despite its name, is a sequel. “Both of our characters died at the end of that film. This one is a completely different script,” says Krishna.
Excerpts from the conversation.
The story of Kazhugu 2 also seems to happen in a jungle.
Krishna: This is a story about two hunters who go into a forest in which a Dhole (wild dog) is running rampant. Both the first film and this one will have death as a common theme, and both are beautiful love stories.
Bindu: It won’t be a conventional film. I had to unlearn everything I had learned over the years because I had to bring back the innocence of my character from the first film. Experience corrupts innocence. It was a challenge to recreate it.
Was there lots of nostalgia, given both of you are working again after so long?
Bindu: There are a lot of memories, yes. The Tamil audience recognised me only after Kazhugu and even now, the Aathadi Manasudhan song is something they talk about. I am really happy that this will be sort of a comeback film for me.
Krishna: Director Sathyasiva, Bindu and I have remained friends from the first film. In fact, Siva and I discuss a lot of scripts. We were keen on working together again. I was not satisfied with many scripts till this one came to me.
Was it daunting to shoot in the deep forests of Munnar?
Bindu: Doing such a film with limited resources was no easy task. We shot deep in the jungle and jeeps could only take us till a certain point. We had to walk the rest of the way. It was also raining when we were shooting there, and the place was slippery. The men had boots and pants but I was walking around in a half-saree.
Krishna: I got to see snakes, elephants, wild boars and deers. We took permission from the government, rent an excavator, and paved roads without disturbing the trees to be able to reach the shooting spot. It all took a lot of time, and we would only start shooting by noon. To make up for that late beginning, we took no breaks.
The Sakalakala Valli track seems to have become quite popular.
Krishna: Yes; in fact, the whole album is lovely and breezy. There’s a beautiful song titled Adi Yendi Pulle that Yuvan has sung. Ennaku Yuvan vitta vera yaarum theriyathu (smiles). We also have Super Singer-fame Syed Subahan making his debut as a singer.
Bindu, you call Kazhugu 2 your comeback film. What was there a reason for the break?
Bindu: I think it was just a phase. I made the mistake of taking a break, and when I came back, I did not get good scripts. I was keen on doing a good film, and so, before Kazhugu 2, I turned down quite a few projects. I am waiting for this film to get released before signing up more.
Do you feel you have not capitalised on the fame you got from being a part of Bigg Boss Season 1?
Bindu: Being a part of Bigg Boss was also a break in a sense. Two years before getting into Bigg Boss, I did not do any film, and I wanted to get back to work. I have not capitalised on it commercially to be honest, because everyone has their own priorities. I watch Bigg Boss even now and Sandy master is my favourite.
Krishna, you have seen your fair share of hits and flops. How does that influence how you choose your films?
Krishna: My first two films did not do well, and so, my father and I were worried about my third film. Prior to the release of Kazhugu, we all switched off our phones and were at home till noon. Only when the distribution company said the film was doing well, did we come out (smiles). What’s the point of doing what everyone does? I like being experimental with films. Two of them that worked out are Kazhugu and Yaamirukka Bayamey. As I had seen my films become flops, I did not celebrate when my third film did well. That’s how I am even today.
Your move to become a producer seems to have born fruit.
Krishna: Yes. The web series, High Priestess, is the number one show in the South for Zee. The plan was to make it in Tamil but Zee wanted it to be in Telugu. I have a few ideas for the Tamil digital space too.
Kazhugu 2 was shot in under a month but has taken quite a while to get to theatres. Why are such delays becoming the norm?
Krishna: Everyone is facing this problem. It could be caused by many things. There could be an issue between the director and the producer; the producer could have run out of money to do post-production…
Bindu: Often, we actors don’t even get paid what we are promised. We are here only for our passion and we want our films to see the light of day. Actors don’t talk about their problems; the producers do.
Source: The New Indian Express