Star Interviews
Excl : Interview with Raj Pippalla
By Sri
Jun 11, 2009 - 7:15:41 AM

Raj Pippala

When I was speaking to Sumanth a year go, he mentioned that his next film was going to be under the direction of Raj Pippalla. When I asked him who he was, Sumanth said that Raj was an ad film maker and did some ads in the US too, which was kind of interesting. Now, their combo film Boni is completed and is getting ready for release. I caught up with him late one night, as that's the only time possible for a chat, and interviewed him for TeluguCinema.Com.

Sri: A formal and routine question at the beginning - Tell me about your background.
Raj: My father Pippalla Suryaprakash Rao gaaru is a writer - a prolific writer in the 80's - and my mother Prabhavathi gaaru is a Veena artist. My sister Vaani is a classical dancer too. With such a familial affiliation to arts, I became interested in all art in general and it continued as I grew up.

Sri: So, a part of your remuneration should go to all of them, I think!
Raj: (Laughs) I guess so.

Sri: I heard you were an ad film maker in the USA. How did that happen?
Raj: Though I did my graduation and post graduation there, I used to have a zeal for arts right from my college days. I used to do plays and music shows when I was in the college, and even worked as DJ then. I liked it a lot too, and with the money I earned thus, I started doing small ads - sort of playing with it to know for myself the art of telling a small story effectively in 30 seconds.

Sri: What technologies did you use? Photoshop? Real short films?
Raj: Not mere Photoshop editing but real short films, in fact. I hired a camera from a local store and did my shooting in vacant houses and so on.

Sri: I thought most advertising firms are located in big cities on the east and west coasts of the USA, such as LA, NY etc....
Raj: That's true to some extent. Most of the big firms are in LA and NY indeed, but every place has its share of local advertising firms. One just needs to work on that and from there one can grow bigger.

Sri: So, what did you do?
Raj: What I did was some mock advertising for local business units and a couple of others on my own, approached a local advertising firm, and showed my work to them.

Sri: But, you're an engineer by profession. How does it all fit?
Raj: True, but I like this job, and I am thus determined to work on such things and went ahead and did it.

Director Raj Pippala

Sri: Okay, so how did they respond to your works? How did you get the first brush with them?
Raj: Actually, I liked the ad of cars which were telecasted often. I then found out which firm did those ads, called them and appreciated. I then said I'd like to meet the person and know more details about the making. When they found out I came from an engineering background, they were curious as to why I was interested in this and agreed for the meeting anyway. Slowly, I started assisting them in their projects with from my boss. When they were looking for a project, I volunteered myself to work on that with my expenses. They liked the results and I started getting offers.

Sri: What are the famous ads you did when you were in the USA?
Raj: I did an ad for the European market of Adidas. It was shot completely in Morocco. I also did an ad for Levi's Jeans targeting the Japanese market, and so on.

Sri: Sumanth was mentioning that you did an ad for Liril ad in India.
Raj: (Smiles) Yes, I did it with Tara Sharma, in Iceland.

Sri: Liril had the same catchy tune that goes laa... laalaalalaa... with Karen Lauren under the waterfall, for a long time now. It's been a long memory for most of us...
Raj: True, and we used the same tune, but we shot it in Iceland this time. It was a good hit.

Suamanth and Raj Pippala on sets of Boni

Sri: What brought you back to India?
Raj: I was in Minneapolis for almost fifteen years, then shifted to Los Angeles, and lived there for three years before shifting to India. I knew Nag when I was still in Minneapolis. I worked with Aakaashaveedhilo ... team and helped them with their shooting in Vancouver, Canada. We've been in touch since that time, and in one of our trips to India, he suggested that I should move back to India if I am really serious in my career about film making in India. Taking his advice, I relocated to India and started my trials to direct a film.

Sri: Okay, now tell us about Boni. How did the project happen finally, and what is the reason behind the curious title?
Raj: I knew Sumanth through Nag, but we also used to met often at the gym. One day, he asked me what I was doing and I told him I am working on some scripts. I was then working on four different scripts, since it's not appropriate to hunt for a producer with just one story in my hand. He evinced interest, and I found myself narrating him the story right the next day. He was not completely satisfied with it. I then tried another, and then another. He finally liked the third story and things started moving from there. The title Boni is inspired by an important scene in the film which gets things really moving in the movie. Raja simha, one of the dialogue writers, suggested the title Boni and I loved it!.

Sri: Why is the project so delayed? I remember you've been making it for the last one year.
Raj: A lot of care has gone into the film. There was no other reason for delay.

Sri: What difference did you find between ad film making and regular film making?
Raj: Ad films can be done leisurely but regular films have to be wrapped up fast.

Sri: Interesting! Ad films last for just 30 seconds, and a regular film is over two hours! Why is this anomaly with the time you spend on them?
Raj: (Laughs) But, ad films can be done by taking time. If we don't wrap up regular films fast, the production costs rise up steeply!

Sri: I heard that you had differences with the producer Ramana Gogula...
Raj: Not quite! Even a married couple have difference of opinions from time to time, and so what's surprising in having difference of opinions really? Ramana and Anita Sakuru invested in the film merely believing in Ramana and me; Ramana Produced the film, which is really great! I appreciate their gesture and will be thankful to them all my life for this reason!

Raj Pippala

Sri: Most debutant directors seem to be unsure about what they want, thus resorting to exposing a lot of film and then discarding nearly half the shots at the editing table. It's sometimes the same scene in ten different ways and sometimes totally different scenes too. Do you belong to a similar category?
Raj: It's not just my cup of tea, I'd say. I always knew what exactly I wanted, before going to the sets. I have a clear idea about it and a defined focus, and that's it - there'd be no compromise beyond it. I also explain myself to the artistes as to what exactly I'm looking for, and we start shooting only after that, so that it'll be easy for me as well as the technical crew.

Sri: Speaking of technical crew, how did you choose Andrews to handle the camera?
Raj: It was our art director Anand Sai that recommended him. Anand Sai and I are close friends. He saw Andrews' work in Ullaasamgaa.. Utsaahamgaa... and asked me to see it too. I saw the movie, liked the work myself, approached him to work for us, and he readily agreed too.

Sri: What did you like in him, once you started working together?
Raj: He knew exactly what I was looking for. He is a brilliant technician and a fast one at that too, both qualities I want in my work.

Sri: What drove your choice for Kruthi Karbanda as the female lead?
Raj: I wanted someone with an innocent-looking face for the role. We saw many photographs and auditioned several people too before we zeroed in on her. She is really hard-working and she did a good job too.

Sri: What ever happened to Telugu-speaking girls? With the same dubbing voice, we do not even know who's actually acting unless we see them on the screen...
Raj: I agree with you. We need good-looking, Telugu-speaking girls in the Telugu film industry, and then we don't need to import heroines from other places.

Sri: So, what next? Do you like to do films like Rabbit-proof Fence or some other experimental films after this?
Raj: Nope, as of now, I just want to do regular mass-masti films with a touch of humanity, in a way that can be enjoyed by the whole family. I like people to be relaxed after a hard day's work. I'd like them to see and enjoy my films. I might change my ideas after a couple of years, but I just love what I have been doing, but I'd like to show a different feel in masala films too.

I wished him all the best for his debut venture and wrapped up the interview.