'Makkhi' to get Japanese makeover: SS Rajamouli
After getting rave reviews in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, director SS Rajamouli's realistic animation 'Makkhi' is all set to be dubbed into Japanese and Swahili.
Rajamouli, 39, whose 'Vikramarkudu' and 'Maryadam' have been remade in Bollywood as 'Rowdy Rathore' and 'Son of Sardar', debuted in the Hindi with the quirky film that revolves around the revenge of a fly.
"We shot the film in Telugu and Tamil and dubbed the film into Malyalam. We converted it into Hindi as well and it is a huge success everywhere. Now, we are in the process of dubbing it into Japanese and Swahili. But the process is in its initial stage as we have only spoken to a Japanese authority to dub and distribute the film there," said Rajamouli.
The film has been appreciated by the Bollywood A-listers and Rajamouli said he expected positive review right from its inception.
"We make a film because we think it is good and people will respond positively but we don't know to what extent. So it feels great when big directors and big stars praise your film," he said.
Rajamouli, who generally makes action films, says 'Makkhi' was inspired by a story that his father narrated to him long back.
"My father is a scriptwriter. He has done many films down south. He has written for most of my films. It was in early 90s and then I was not even assistant director. My dad used to narrate my cousins a new story after every two days. That time he narrated me the story of Makkhi. We found it very funny and interesting, which I revived when I turned director."
But the director said he had almost scrapped the idea of making the film because he was not happy with the animated fly.
"Initially I wasn't sure about the film because a lot of visual effects were involved in it. Last year when I was checking the first shot of our hero (animated fly), I thought to scrap the project because it was not upto the mark. Nothing was right about it but we had already spent 10 crore by them. We had to start all over again with the animation." Asked about why he chose fly as the protagonist of the film, Rajamouli said, "Fly is something which we look at as harmless. We look at it as if it does nothing to us so, the dramatic sense increases. That's is why we retained the fly." The director roped in superstar Ajay Devgn to give the voice-over of the fly in the Hindi version.
Courtesy : indianexpress.com
I was going to scrap the Makkhi: SS Rajamouli
A still from the Telugu movie Eega.
“I had never done animation and after about seven months of production, when I saw the initial work, I was so disappointed and frustrated that I was going to scrap the film. But then I realised that we had already spent Rs. 10 crore on it so far, so I couldn’t have put so much money to waste,” Rajamouli, 39, told us while he was in the Capital to promote the Hindi version of the film.
With opening narration from actors Ajay Devgn and Kajol, it hit the screens on Friday. Rajamouli got the idea for the movie from his story-writer father over 12 years ago and it took him two years to bring the project to the big screen. The director doesn’t deny chances of having a sequel to the fly revenge story if he manages to come out with “a great story” but is confident that if a Part 2 comes out, “it will definitely be in 3D”.
Not many know that Rajamouli’s hits Vikramarkudu and Maryada Ramanna have already been remade in Bollywood as Rowdy Rathore and Son of Sardaar (SOS) respectively. The rights to his 2009 period-drama Magadheera have also been bought by Anurag Kashyap. “I’ve only seen Rowdy Rathore so far and I liked it,” he said while praising SOS lead actor Devgn as “the most dependable actor in Bollywood”.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
SS Rajamouli Times Of India Interview - Interesting One
Whom would you be working with in Hindi? It would have to be the Telugu star Prabhas.We are committed to make the next film with him. I did work with Ajay Devgn and Kajol who did the voiceover in Makkhi. I wanted a couple with easily identifiable voices but with an image for being family-oriented. Ajay and Kajol fitted the bill. You get a good feel about them. Ajay agreed when I approached him. But I insisted he see the film first. After seeing the film the first thing he said, 'I must show this film to my kids.'
I believe you've zeroed in on the subject that you want to do in Hindi? Yes, I am looking at shooting my next film in Hindi and Telugu. It is a period film but not historical. It's a folk story. And no, it's not about reincarnation. I'm done with reincarnation after Magadheeraand Eega.
What's this fascination with the theme of reincarnation? It started with Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun.I remember watching that film. For the first time, I openly laughed and wept during a film. Earlier I was very reserved about my emotions. Karan Arjun opened up my emotions.
Why have you stayed away from Hindi cinema so far? To be very frank I never got very good offers from Hindi cinema until Eega. Now I'm flooded with offers. But I've some commitments to fulfill in the south before I head to Mumbai to make a film. Of course as a storyteller I want my cinema to reach a larger audience, no doubt about that.
Your films have been remade and dubbed into several Indian languages. Yet you continue to function from Andhra Pradesh? I am very happy and proud to be known as a Telugu filmmaker. I am glad to know my films make a pan-India impact. I see no linguistic impediment. But to make a film in Hindi would be an advantage. It has to be a universal story like Makkhi. A fly is a fly anywhere. Vikramarkurdu was made as a star-vehicle for Ravi Tejaa. I couldn't have made it for the entire country. It was tailored for Telugu audiences.
Why didn't you direct Rowdy Rathore, the Hindi version of your hitVikramarkurdu? Because it was never offered to me! And even it was, I wouldn't have done it. I'll be making an original film in Hindi. No point in doing the same film twice over.
What did you think of Rowdy Rathore? Frankly, I'm not a fan of my original film in Telugu either. I know it had some good moments, for example the sentiments shared between the hero and the little girl who reforms him, which made the film work. The re-makers exploited those moments but not enough. We gave much more footage in Vikramarkurdu to the father-daughter scenes.
The refrain Chin ta ta chi ta ta in Rowdy Rathore was lifted from Vikramarkurduand used into Rowdy Rathore. Actually, it was not our original tune either. My music composer M M Kreem didn't compose it. It's like ...how do I put it? A folk tune in Tamil Nadu. It's a kind of anthem refrain among students in the State. Youngsters compose their own crude protest songs and then cap it with Chinta ta ta. It has existed in Tamil Nadu for generations. I made it a part of Ravi Tejaa's character and then it was given to Akshay Kumar.
Do you approve of filmmakers lifting secondary material? I think there's a very thin line between copying and adapting. I think its okay to use material from earlier films. As long as it doesn't hurt the original creator we can use it.
Can you give me an example? In so many films of mine I've used scenes and shots inspired by earlier films. My Maryada Ramanna (now remade into Son Of Sardar) was inspired by a 1923 Buster Keaton silent film Our Hospitality. One could say I copied the film. I don't mind. When I saw the original I liked it so much I wanted to re-tell the same story on my own way. I even tried to find the original creators. But no one existed. The original writers died in the 1930s. Technically any material that has existed for more than 75 years can be used without a copyright claim. But if you use material in Hindi film from a contemporary Punjabi, Oriya or Telugu film you need to take permission.
What did you think of Akshay Kumar in Rowdy Rathore? When I made my film I made Ravi Tejaa pander to Telugu sensibilities. I think Prabhu Deva who directed the Hindi remake, made Akshay Kumar act according to the tastes of North Indian sensibilities. The two performances cannot be compared.
Now your Maryada Ramanna turns your Telugu hero into a Sardarji in Son Of Sardar? I don't know what the cultural politics of Punjab is like. But in one area of Andhra Pradesh family feuds that persist for many generations is a reality. That's what I showed inMaryada Ramanna. I saw families that were perfectly cultured and courteous, killing each other. Now you will have to tell me if such family feuds exist in Punjab. I don't think this peculiar contradictory culture of the co-existence of violence and hospitality exists in Punjab.
Even your other blockbuster Magadheera is being remade into Hindi? Why don't you direct it? No thanks. I've already spent two years of my life on it. I'd rather make something else. Magadheera was my toughest film to make. Very tiring. But the most satisfying film I've made is Maryada Ramanna. That's my only film I don't get bored watching in its entirety. But Eega (Makkhi) is my biggest hit to date.
How did you think of making a film with a fly as a hero? It was there in my subconscious for a long time. My father was a well-known storywriter. He was a storehouse of stories. He told me a story about a boy who was killed by the villain and was re-born as a fly. I wanted Eega to be like a bedtime story.
The special effects in Eega-Makkhi are being compared with Hollywood films? I'd like to thank one Mr. Kamal Kannan, a VFX producer who has worked with me in several films. I was confident about the visual effects because I had done them before. But animation was entirely new to me. All the animation technicians in my film were youngsters in the 25-28 age groups. Looking at them you can't tell they are such high-calibre professionals. What I am proudest of in Eega is the animation.
How did the fly in Eega acquire its human personality? We had to make sure that the fly behaved the same way as the actor Naani who dies and is born as a fly. The quality in Naani's personality that had to be transferred to the fly was positivity.Once we got that in place we had to work on the physical appearance of a fly. In close-ups an actual fly is ugly. At the same time if we changed it, it would become a cartoon character. I have to thank the actor Sudeep who plays the fly's adversary for making the conflict look believable. I can say without any reservation that Sudeep is the best actor I've worked with. Shekhar told me the visual effects worked so effectively because of Sudeep. The fly has no expressions. It is only through Sudeep's expressions that we know what the fly is up to.
Why and how the fly was designed wearing a mask? When we sat down to write the script the first question was, why is it so difficult to kill the fly? That's when we thought the fly should have a protective mechanism. And to make that protective mechanism for the fly we made the heroine a miniature artiste.
Has Ajay Devgn shows you the remake of Maryada Ramanna? Not yet.
What did your children think of Eega/Makkhi? They loved it. My son and daughter constantly talk about films. I am getting worried. I feel I am pushing them prematurely into cinema.
Filmfare Movie Review: Makkhi
Cast: Sudeep, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nani
Director: SS Rajamouli
Picture this: A fly sporting hi-tech goggles and washboard abs enters a speeding car through the vent and distracts the villain who is behind the wheel, only leading to an accident. This fly can dance like Hrithik Roshan in Ek Pal Ka Jeena and can also do the chinta ta chita like Rowdy Rathore. Most importantly, it can protect the girl of his dreams from the bad guys. Yes, it’s a superhero fly. Move over Superman.
Makkhi is a dubbed version of Director SS Rajamouli’s hugely successful Eega down South. Riding on a novel concept and exemplary execution, this revenge film has its own special sting.
A good-for-nothing bloke Jaani (Nani) falls for the pretty Bindu (Samantha Ruth). The feelings are mutual but the girl shies away from expressing her love towards him. Enter Sudeep (Sudeep), the vicious party pooper, who also falls in love with her. On learning about her affection towards Jaani, all hell breaks loose. He murders the lover boy. Wait, it doesn’t end there. Jaani is reborn, as a housefly. Yes, a housefly. And this Makkhi doesn’t fancy breeding along garbage cans with its brotherhood, instead its sole motive is revenge.
The wafer-thin plot of this film doesn’t affect its novelty. The zany concept does the trick. Brilliant camera work and intelligent use of CGI ensure a visual spectacle. It’s almost like riding on the back of Makkhi. It takes you from every imaginable nook and corner of a household setup. Sometimes, the camera movements actually make you feel dizzy.
'Makkhi hoon main makkhi, sair kar narak ki. Meri ek nazar se tune maut chakhhi.’ This is Makkhi’s signature tune. And each time the fly takes its stance, the thumping background score makes you want to clap and hoot.
Funny thing about Revenge, it could make a killer out of a housefly. Jaani as the fly shocks the living daylights out of Sudeep. Some spectacular scenes infused with humour are this films highlight. Take for instance the scene where Sudeep sprays HIT (a fly repellent) all over Jaani only to realise the fly is well-guarded to rinse the chemical off its body. This scene in slow-mo and later Sudeep’s expression is something you’d never be able to forget. The film also pays homage to Rajnikanth by using one of his famous dialogues from the film Sivaji as an introduction to the fly.
Kudos to Kotagiri Venkateshwar Rao for coming up with such a novel concept and director Rajamouli for his commendable execution. Despite the umpteen absurdities, Makkhi comes across as utterly ridiculous, yet believable. It’s a silly joyride with bouts of shameless fun. Go for it!