Anup Bhandari: Story and emotions, the heart of 'Vikrant Rona'

On the eve of the release of 'Vikrant Rona', the pan-Indian fantasy action drama starring Sudeep, director Anup Bhandari talks to DH about his biggest project yet. Excerpts:

For a young filmmaker, his or her second film is an acid test. Especially if the debut project is a massive hit. When 'Rajaratha' failed, how did you pick yourself up to move on from it?

Initially yes, there were doubts. 'RangiTaranga' succeeded because it was unique. That kind of film hadn't come at that point of time. Then we did 'Rajaratha' and it didn't work out. So I started doubting the approach. After spending time away from it and then doing the post-mortem, I realised the failure was more to do with the way the story was told. There is a formula for storytelling. You have to have a start point, mid point, and things like that. They are the basics of screen writing. We tried to go out of it and tell a story, and that seldom works.

Also, your story needs to have drama at every point, some kind of excitement. That was missing in our film. I understood that if I had incorporated all these things, the same film could have worked. I needed to tick the right boxes. I also had the strong urge to prove that 'RangiTaranga' isn't a one-off hit. So I made sure I wrote and rewrote, until I was absolutely certain that I had the right material in hand for 'Virkant Rona'.

There is a famous saying that 'never meet your heroes'. How was it meeting Sudeep for the first few times and how did you both, as a combination, break the ice?

So he had released my short film in 2010. I then met him at the back stage of Big Boss in 2015. I was there to invite him for the 200th day celebration of 'RangiTaranga'. After that, he saw the trailer of 'Rajaratha' and called me to say he liked it and expressed his interest to work with me. After watching it, he appreciated the technical aspects of the film, and said 'let's do a film together'. Today, I have become a part of his family. He calls my wife his little sister as he doesn't have a sister. Our daughters have an age gap of 8-10 years but they are good friends.

When you idolise someone, you tend to get carried away by everything he or she does. How were you able to be objective while working with Sudeep?

Our wavelengths match. Whatever I think, he agrees and it's vice versa. Sometimes, yes, some of his suggestions might not work for me and I try to convince him as to why I feel that way. As long as my reasons is convincing for him, it's okay. You just need to give him valid points in the discussions.

In Sudeep's acting, what is it that impresses you the most? Is it his mannerisms or his intensity?

He acted in my father's serial 'Premada Kadambari' and I had told him to make a film with him. I then loved him in 'Huccha'. It was his body language that caught my attention. Forget about the climax and all that. There is a scene where he sits on the bike and calls the girl. The body language was so subtle and natural. It didn't feel like it was acting. There was great amount of swag, and arrogance. That was the first time I felt wow. There was no room for over-the-top acting. It was minimal acting and very few people can do that.

I felt the same thing during first shot of 'Vikrant Rona'. So there is a scene in which he walks into the police station. He walks in with a swag and his task in that scene is to lift the phone and dial. He doesn't sit on the chair. He sits on the table and takes the phone. He pulls the chair and keeps his leg on it and starts dialing. He does the entire act so stylishly that suddenly he looks very authoritative. So he is a master at adding small mannerisms to his character. For instance, I write in the script that there is lighter and a cigar on the table. But the way he lights the cigar is so stylish. He knows how much intensity to add to each scene. So a layman watching the scene while shooting might think there is nothing extraordinary in the performance but on screen, when you watch it with context, you will be blown way.

You are new-generation filmmaker but while working with a star, you have to adapt and perhaps incorporate commercial features in the script...

A certain level of liking for commercial aspects for cinema was always within me. When I was watching 'Rajaratha' and saw people's reaction in the theatre, I understood that I did the wrong film for the fans out there. They are smart people but the kind of film they wanted to watch was different. So, there should be a blend of everything. 'Mass' or commercial cinema, at least for me, isn't about loud dialogues, or just beating up the villains for the sake of it. Audience must get connected with the 'masala' elements and enjoy them. The mannerism of the hero and his elevations fit well in the film. It came organically in 'Vikrant Rona' because the character itself was like that. Be it his entry or action sequences, they came organically.

This is a film shot in 2D and then converted into 3D unlike films that are completely shot in 3D. How have you ensured 'Vikrant Rona' 3D experience to be solid?

At one point during the project, we decided to make the film into a 3D experience. It had its own challenges. There was a lot of VFX in the film and the process of converting it into 3D was a time-consuming process. There were a lot of pipelines I had to create to set the whole thing rolling. Around 12-13 VFX companies worked on the project. Several files had to go to the 3D team. First they went without the VFX and then with the VFX. Totally, there were 1900 files. Somebody had to track how they reached from point A to B to C to D. Since I am from the IT background, I am good at project management. For instance, all my assistant directors had to do was to just press the scene number in the excel sheet and everything required for the shoot, right from properties to people involved to costumes would be mentioned. I manually typed out these details for all scenes in the excel sheet, and did the coding. I did it myself to be in control all the time.

For a pan-Indian film, we barely saw you in the limelight. It appeared as if till the last moment, you were working behind the scenes, focused and away from all the hype...

The last one month was my most hectic one, ever in my life. For a normal film, you take one output. For a normal pan-India film, you take 5-6 outputs. For 'Vikrant Rona', we had to take 20 outputs. Because of the complexity of the film, a lot of things had to be done in the last minute work. I was at Chennai first for the sound mixing, to get the Atmos ready. I later attended the first leg of the film's promotions in Delhi. Something told me that to get the output would take time. Everybody stayed back in Delhi on the second day but I left. My intuition was right as there were some rendering issues. It took more time than I predicted. There was so much content and we couldn't miss a single reel. After a lot of hard work in a short span of time, we were able to wrap up just before the deadline.

Films such as 'RRR' and 'KGF' are remembered for their terrific imagination in a typical commercial cinema template. What will 'Vikrant Rona' be remembered for?

'Vikrant Rona' will be remembered for it's story line and emotion. That's what people will carry home. There are stunning visuals but they are there to compliment the main story. It's not the kind of movie that will start from the fourth gear. It starts in the first and then grows on you. You enter the world and then it captures you. We want people to be on the edge of their seats. You start off in a relaxed mode and then get gripped by the narrative. That's how the film is structured.

From a hit debut film to working with a superstar in your third film, it's been a swift rise for you. What's your state of mind now?

Right now I am relaxed. The only time I start getting nervous is when the first show starts and I am watching with people. I remember I was extremely nervous during the first show of 'RangiTaranga' in Kapali in Bengaluru. Throughout the film, I didn't sit at all. I was so nervous. The film wasn't a comedy so people weren't laughing and it wasn't a mass film with a well-known hero so obviously people weren't whistling or shouting. So it was tough to know their feedback. So, yes, till the first show begins, I don't feel the pressure on me.