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| Palace Set |
Sri: Art department generally seems to deal with set properties, paints, right look and such things. Is there more to it, in the context of this film?
Ravinder: Sure there is a lot! For example, in this film, a trailer shows a scene which had lot of water gushing out of a corridor that's edited out of the movie due to length constraints. There's a scene in which Ghora spits out poisonous needles on to the heroine, and the hero is pinoned to a wall with an arrow through his hand. Srihari then gets up to a high tank of water and blasts it off so that the water deluges the unconscious heroine and the entrapped hero, and the wall that traps the hero by the arrow is demolished in the act. I directed the whole scene myself in a single shot, with 90,000 liters of water! In fact, we didn't even tell the lead pair that so much water would fall since the number is so frightening! That was not about constructing sets but destroying one in a heavy flood of water. Thanks to my assistants and everyone that acted in the scene, we could shoot it well, but the movie was already too lengthy to have some such important scenes.
Sri: Who were others that worked with you day and night?
Ravindar: Definitely, my assistants come first! Next, it's Rajamouli gaaru. He always used to carry a tape and notebook along with us. The director doesn't need to do it really, but he used to do it. He always took them in his car, keeping them ready for each shot. In the end, he bought an electronic device from USA for about Rs. 70,000 to measure distance. That shows his commitment! Third, it's his assistant Jagadish who made all the action scenes. Jagadish has tons of patience really! He used to make a note of all continuity aspects, including the decoration for each horse! Ensuring continuity is not an easy task for such a huge film! We had many extras and junior artistes, and most of them used to leave their costumes wherever they'd change after the shoot. Jagadish used to keep track of them and safely tucked them away, and make them available for the next day's shoot. He also checked with animal trainers and let us know the details. He has amazing patience like his guru Rajamouli. I never saw Rajamouli getting fatigued in shooting, and his assistants are so too!
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| palace Set |
Sri: I heard that you even modified the elephant in the song dheera dheera dheera...?
Ravinder: (Laughs) That's because the elephant looked old and didn't have one of its tusks. We had to make an imitation ivory tusk and fix to it, and we also painted the elephant a little so that it looks young and beautiful.
Sri: Geetha Arts usually pays less, I heard. Are you satisfied with your remuneration, after all the toil?
Ravindar: I am satisfied on the work front - it's once-in-a-lifetime chance, indeed! So, I enjoyed the work and the name I got with this film!
Sri: What are your current projects?
Ravindar: Two films are on the floors. There's a talk in the industry that I am pricey and headstrong. Thus, people who don't know me personally don't generally approach me, but those who know me know that I don't compromise in the quality I deliver and there is nothing which i cannot deliver.
Edited by:
NaChaKi
Interview:
Sri Atluri
