Flair for the unusual

``Little John,'' a multi-lingual starring Bentley Mitchum and Jyotika, is to be released soon. Its director Singeetam Srinivasa Rao talks to SAVITHA PADMANABHAN about the film, his future projects and erstwhile assignments.

``IF I had not been a film maker, I would have been a teacher and built a school on the lines of Santiniketan,'' says Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, with child-like excitement on his face. The veteran director, who has a penchant for making films with unusual themes, is well-known for his Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and of course Tamil films, not to forget ``Pushpak'', the silent movie. He has nearly 60 films to his credit, including the National Award winning ``Dikkatra Parvati'', ``Taram Marindi'', ``Mayuri'', ``Michael Madana Kamarajan'' and ``Haalu Jaenu''. Now, the prolific film-maker is all set to tell a multi- lingual (English, Hindi and Tamil) fantasy tale, ``Little John'', due for release this month. It was to learn more about the making of his latest venture that I met up with Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. His wife whom he describes as his strength was present.

In a totally relaxed frame of mind, sitting in the comforts of his unpretentious and spacious drawing room surrounded by family portraits, the director answered a volley of questions... on his life, his body of cinematic work and other interests, including music and painting. As he spoke about his past, present and the future, a tale of hard work and experimentation unfolded.

For the boy from Gudur, who was born in 1931, making films was a childhood dream. His father was a headmaster of a school and his greatest assets ``were his sense of humour and ability to put himself in other people's shoes''. His mother was a violinist. ``I guess my sense of humour and love for music are genetic.''

After a chemistry degree from the Presidency College, he took up a government job and even had a stint in teaching. But his obsession with the silver screen brought him to the door of the legendary Telugu director, K. V. Reddy. ``Of course, initially Mr. Reddy refused to take me in. I remember waiting outside his house for hours. Sometimes he would acknowledge my presence, sometimes not.''

But the wait was worth the while. As assistant director for such films as ``Maya Baazar'', Rao gained a strong foothold in cinema. He soon found the confidence to go it alone. The result was ``Needhi Nijayathi'' (1972) a story about a dumb boy. But it was his next film ``Dikkatra Parvathi'', based on a novella by Rajaji, that people took notice of him.

Rajaji's powerful novella on the evils of alcoholism moved the young teetotaller and he went to the grand old man of Indian politics with a request. The director relived that experience, ``The general notion those days was that Rajaji hated films. So I told him I wanted to convert a story by somebody who hated films, into a film. Pat came the reply from Rajaji, ``Who said I hate films? I hate bad films!'' Then he gave me permission to make my film.'' A memorable moment it was for the budding director.

In most of his earlier films, one would find a character with some sort of physical handicap. Remember the blind man in ``Raja Paarvai'' or the dwarf in ``Appu Raja''or the lame ``Mayuri''? ``There is nothing deliberate. It's just that I have always wondered how a person with a handicap is able to overcome challenges. Also, they make great stories,'' explains Rao. Perhaps, one of his best stories to date is ``Pushpak.'' With a brilliant screenplay and sans dialogue, it was hilarious to the hilt. How did it happen? ``I once heard K. V. Reddy tell his writer, ``This is a visual medium. Sometimes, there is no need for any dialogue.'' That set me thinking. I felt that the silent era has produced movies of great quality. So I designed a screenplay in such a way that at no point was it necessary for any character to speak.'' The Kamal Haasan-Amala starrer won wide acclaim, ``especially from Satyajit Ray.'' So much so, Raj Kapoor, who watched the film, agreed to distribute it in the North! One must add here that Rao has a penchant for comedy. Remember the recent ``Kadhala Kadhala'' or not so recent ``Michael Madhana Kamarajan''? A splendid screenplay with some great acting, the film has not lost its freshness to this day.

Working with legends from Nageswara Rao (``Pilla Zamindar'') to Rajkumar (``Haalu Jenu,'' ``Devatha Manushya'') to Kamal Haasan (``Sommokadidhi Sokokadidhi,'' ``Kadhala Kadhala'') - is as ``satisfying as directing the next generation,'' be it Balakrishna, Nagarjuna, Shivrajkumar, Abbas, Prabhu Deva or even Kumar Gaurav.

Now, with his latest ``Little John'', he has gone global... in a way. By casting the Hollywood import, Bentley Mitchum (yes, the grandson of the legendary Robert Mitchum), opposite the cheuribic Jyothika. The story of an American who comes to India and his adventure-ridden journey is bound to attract a lot of attention.

``Actually I was asked to direct a film for Hollywood. You know, as a child, I always dreamt of going to Hollywood. But when it actually happened, it was exhilarating,'' says a visibly excited Rao.

Of course, that project was put on hold, but it led to the making of ``Little John.'' ``I have seen a lot of films where a hero visits a foreign land and gets into all sorts of trouble. So what happens if an American lands in India and actually shrinks in size? I thought it would make entertaining cinema.''

Bentley Mitchum plays an anthropologist who is caught in a web of deceit. The story revolves round a nose ring with magical powers. The evil Prakash Raj wants it, and the sadhus, led by Anupam Kher, are trying to protect it. In his efforts to save the jewel, Mitchum is accidentally reduced to a seven-inch dwarf. The rest of the plot is about how he overcomes the obstacles. In the process, Mitchum also gets to shake his leg with Jyotika in the deserts of Rajasthan and to fight the baddies! ``Mind you, it is not being dubbed. It has been shot three times,'' Rao reiterates.

But why the need to make it in so many languages? ``Oh! It's very simple. I want my film to have a wider reach. By dubbing, somehow the effect is lost.''

What else does Rao have in his creative bag? ``My dream is to do a musical. I have a script ready but let's see.'' Meanwhile, he has some noteworthy projects lined up - ``Akasha Veedhilo'' with Nagarjuna and ``Mustafa,'' a full-length animation film for Pentamedia Graphics. Also, the director has turned to his first love - music. ``You see, I love music... of any kind. In fact, now I am bringing out an album of eight songs'', he reveals. On proddng, he elaborates, ``I am a great fan of the legendary Telugu music director Saluri Rajeshwara Rao. This album is dedicated to him.'' And then Rao plays snatches of the music. The melody has an old-world feel and is interspersed with songs sung by Rajeswara Rao himself. A befitting tribute to his `guru', it will be.

In this context, it is interesting to note that he has scored music for two Kannada films - ``Bhagyada Lakshmi Baaramma'' and ``Samyukta''. And even acted in a Telugu film, where he donned the role of K. Nageswara Rao, the founder of ``Andhra Kesari'' and Amrutanjan. The uncanny resemblance to the historic character is to be seen to be believed.

As the conversation veers once again towards his directorial ventures, Rao pauses for a moment, ``Looking back I wonder if I was pretentious initially.. by trying to make films with messages. Today, I have no such illusions. I want to entertain people. That's all. Let others bother about messages!'' It is the essence of a career chequered with fantasies and social drama, thrillers and comedies , romance and science fiction... a long journey that has been filled with excitement and disappointment, applause and rejection. But a `fulfilling' journey.

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