Director Lakshmi Narayana’s debut film First Day First Show released this Friday. The young talent is an interesting conversationalist and he can talk on any subject impromptu. We learn, he is a voracious reader and a passionate writer and all through the chat, he has been reeling quotes by renowned writers. We have been seeing him in a few interviews promoting the movie with his colleagues and friends Vamsi and Anudeep and the trio seem to be in perfect sync. In a brief chat with Klapboardpost.com, Lakshmi Narayana reveals writing and film making are his core strengths.
How did the three get together for this film? “Vamsi is an actor and was not into direction initially. He was always inclined towards directing the story that he had written but was open to the idea of acting if offered a good role in the story. I, on my part, have been into advertisements and short films. Earlier, I have been associated with director Anudeep for his movie Jathi Ratnalu and post the release, he asked me if I would be interested in directing his story.” Why does Anudeep come across as a dim witted, dumb guy in the promotions though we know he is doing it deliberately? Lakshmi Narayana jumps at his friend’s defence and says, “He talks in that manner to bring laughter, he also believes in conserving energy. Since he wants everything to be laughter related, he doesn’t like talking about filmi struggles about how and where he placed the camera. For instance, we did multiple interviews today and answering the same questions could be draining physically and mentally; so when he is asked the same question repeatedly, he talks about something that is remotely related or connected.” Lakshmi Narayana recollects how their clarity on the comedy narrative worked. “When we were writing Jatritratnalu, we decided that the climax should be funny. Do we need to intellectually expose our characters? We all are well read but it isn’t necessary that people know what we studied, but for now..if it is about the film, it is good. We want to promote it.”
How did the idea of having two directors for the film arise? He says, “There are films that one does with conviction. There are drama films and there are particular emotions being shown in a particular film but this is a fun film. We are open to talk about better ideas. Even if an assistant director tells a better joke than you it adds value, that’s how comedy works. One can be immensely talented but that is of no use if there is no timing. Doing solo direction is different and also comedy being translated into screen also depends on the actor and director. I met Anudeep post the release of his debut film Pitta Goda. I wrote a horror comedy, all of us who write for him have a funny bone. He doesn’t like seriousness and is also an introvert; When he is surrounded by like minded people, he opens up and on the personal front works earnestly.”
Lakshmi Narayana is a native of Chandragiri, a town near Tirupati. A B.tech from Vidyaniketan, he professes having a wonderful time in Vidyaniketan and can never forget the fabulous environment that helped him become an avid reader. Right from his youth he devoured a lot of English and Telugu literature but took up an IT job. Soon after, he quit to make films. The young man read everything that he could lay his hands on in the past 11 years. As a matter of pride, he shares, “My library has 7500 books and I even read western philosophy.” In his spare time, he had written umpteen stories ranging from comedies to thrillers and serious subjects. Some of them make apt content for the OTT platforms and he is sure to make all of them some day soon. Interestingly, there have been many actors who wanted to do a particular story for free. As of now, it is a 14 year journey that led him to become a director. He adds, “Making a film is not so easy, it is tough to get things done. Now people who heard my stories initially and have rejected it, are calling me back.”
The director talks more on his pet interests. He reminisces, “My uncle gave me a book and I was initiated into reading and there was no stopping. When I began, I began writing alone. Ask him what he has been writing and he quips, “The superior knows what is great but the inferior knows what sells. I have scripts for the next ten films ready and if at all I need to re-visit them…it will be for enhancement. I have written a novel and I write a thousand words every day and go by Dorothea Brande’s philosophy of discovering the writer’s magic. I had written for two years and after that when I read it, I laughed at it but then the more you get into the muscle and the situations..the memory bank comes from my moralistic view.” We ask filmmaker Lakshmi Narayana if all these film schools are of any help, he says many people passing out of film school did become interns as assistant directors etc but nothing can be better than doing short films, editing them which helps one have an idea of everything. He after quitting his job, edited 100 short films..just not for survival but to learn the craft. He attended a course too and thinks that so many years of study in a film school isn’t necessary. One year or six months would suffice as cameras have become affordable and Youtube is very helpful. In film school, one is given organised material but one short film will impart all the education required.
Bimbisara, Kartikeya 2 and Seeta Ramam have shown that the audience laps up any film even if they are given ten or fifteen minutes of freshness. Producer Srija asked Anudeep for a story and he was busy, so he asked Lakshmi Narayana and Vamsi to direct it. For filmmakers the director says, by and large after a stage, the process becomes identical for all films. If one has many ideas, it is okay if someone else directs it. Lakshmi Narayana heard the story and he took a week’s time and expressed his interest to direct it. He had never worked anywhere as an assistant or an associate director, he made his own short films and documentaries. Ask him to shed some light on the plot, he replies, “FDFS is a simple show and I thought it will give me an experience. The lead actors auditioned. Hero is Srikanth who was the second lead in Pitta Goda. Heroine Sachita Basu from Bihar is picked from Tik Tok. The plot is very thin, about a youth and the pressure on him to procure a movie ticket for the girl he loves. The entire journey is fun and that is the USP. Eliciting humour is a tough task and we achieved it. It is a very simple film so there are no challenges in making. It was well planned, we did rehearsals.”
The filmmaker signs off saying that a director should hold one’s attention. “It is like throwing seeds to a pigeon. If you want them to wait, throw the seeds slowly. You will have to hold their attention, so you can’t throw an entire bag. To hook the audience, writing should be great. I am so excited about my next project. I want to explore and I want my stories to be unique”. ….Y. Sunita Chowdhary
