Honey-B

During the first week of Jan 2010, in one of my random chat session with a writer from Kerala, I came across the phrase 'Imperfection is the beauty of Human Life.' Inspired from this sentence, I started working on my 3rd script. Later on, that story underwent lot of changes and completely changed from the central point on which I started working. But that script was not green-lighted even after some big production houses liking it.

In 2011, I was supposed to direct writer J.K.Bharavi's 'Rampachodavaram'. But that was a hasty, unprofessional announcement made public. There was just an idea without a script and it was just a proposal even without the approval of the alleged casting. 

In 2012, my 4th script got approved by two leading production houses which I almost felt, will be my second film. During its scripting I got a proposal to direct Brahmanandam's son Raja Goutham for a relatively unknown producer. 
On one hand I had my established producer ready to do a film with my 4th script. On the other side, I saw an opportunity and a risk to watch my first script 'Basanti' in a theater, which I have been narrating from all those years, to more than a dozen producers and to half a dozen actors, in Tamil & Telugu film industry.
After three months, the 'unknown' producer vanished. Then came a second producer who perished within two months. And then came a team of three people into picture who wanted to turn producers with my film.

"I suddenly woke up from the coma of reality".
I realized that, after three years of my debut as a director, I had spent six months of my valuable time in the company of cons. I understood that in this pursuit of my dream, I will have to negotiate with a bunch of extraneous people dressed up as producers. 
I was in a dilemma to leave 'Basanti' again, just like how I left it back in 2008. Finally, though with a lesser budget than originally intended, I was 'once again' pushed to become the producer just like back in 2008. 
"It was a risk I took again".
But the risk was always mine. I took this risk, for seeing 'Basanti' becoming a film, instead of staying in a pile of papers in my file. I took all this risk to become the only person to be blamed if anything goes wrong. I took all this risk because I knew that I will continue to make more movies. Moreover already I was in a financial risk :)

'Basanti' shoot started on Feb 4th 2013 and ended on Nov 4th 2013. The film was completed in 71 working days in a long stretch of 9 months. Because we were on our own, it took all that time. As a first time production house 'StartCamera Pictures' had lot of issues in the making. I was shouldering a mountain weight of responsibilities which was influencing me with my knowledge. I could clearly see the three-layered loss of productivity from the vision in my mind to the scene paper on my table, and what was actually happening in front of the camera.
My personal excitement as a film maker started only during the post production stages. Composer Mani Sharma was one person who wanted to produce this film way back in 2008, and here he delivered an outstanding, competitive and truly professional work. His name will be on top of the list of people who made this film memorable for me. 
Now that 'Basanti' has completed its censor formalities today, and seeing my name as the producer and director in my second film itself, I started remembering all the people who made this possible and also all those others who made it impossible :)

When he watched my 'Baanam', writer J.K. Bharavi told me that he understood how much I love cinema.
But 'Basanti' is my first love letter when I started writing for cinema :)