‘Balaramana Dinagalu’ Director KM Chaitanya: ‘No Industry Has The Resources To Mount 20 Big-Budget Films In A Year’ (EXCLUSIVE)

KM Chaitanya’s blockbuster 2007 crime drama "Aa Dinagalu" earned him the moniker of ‘Underworld Director’. While many would have cashed in on the huge success, he decided to take a long break from making movies on gangsters. He is back with "Balaramana Dinagalu", his second gangster drama movie, years after experimenting with other genres. It stars Vinod Prabhakar in the lead role. 

The filmmaker explains why he took such a long break from the crime drama genre, saying, “After "Aa Dinagalu" people would constantly ask me about my next gangster film. It was a conscious decision to avoid movies on the same subject. See, I had become the director of "Aa Dinagalu" by accident. I was not the first choice for the film. It was written by Agni Shridhar, a former gangster who turned journalist. I knew all my movies would be compared to it so I wanted a break.” 

During the pandemic, Chaitanya read up a lot of books on Indian gangsters including the ones by former investigative journalist and author S. Hussain Zaidi. He felt it was time to explore that world once again. He admits meeting a few in real life as well. “I thought there was the right amount of time between my first film and this one. I started thinking about a gangster movie, but did not know which one to write about,” he adds. 

This is when Kannada producer Shreyas stepped in. “He suggested that I make a movie on Balaramana, a famous gangster of Bengaluru. Our film is a fictional one inspired by all the material I read up on underworld dons. I feel 18 years between two films is enough time. This is like a tribute to the first movie,” says Chaitanya. 

The pain of losing Chiranjeevi Sarja 

The death of actor and his good friend Chiranjeevi Sarja in June 2020 was one of the most devastating incidents in the Kannada film industry in recent times.  Chaitanya and he had collaborated for four films together. “It was a huge setback for me both personally and professionally. Very few actors and filmmakers work together so often. I liked to experiment and he too was open to new ideas. After that, I worked with other actors. By the time I had finished the script of "Balaramana Dinagalu," I was ready for a new actor,” he states. 

He was also all praise for actress Meghana Raj, the wife of late Chiranjeevi Sarja. Chaitanya said she is an inspiration with the courage she showed after his tragic loss. “I am full of admiration for her. Losing Chiru (Chiranjeevi Sarja) when she was pregnant must have been devastating. Suddenly, she showed what she is truly made up of. She took the demise in her stride and balanced her emotions. I hope she shines in "Jailer 2",” he says fondly. 

Kannada movies in the spotlight 

The director shares that while people are going gaga over films like "K.G.F" franchise, "Kantara", "Su From So", "45", "Mahavatar Narasimha" and others, the Kannada industry always always had original ideas. He cites the example of the 1970 movie "Samskara" written by Girish Karnad and of "Putanna Kanagal," considered as one of the industry’s greatest works so far.

“We also had Girish Kasaravalli, a legend in the field of Indian parallel cinema. However, when those films were made there was no social media. People loved "Kantara," but before that we had "Ondanondu Kaladalli," the debut film of Shankar Nag. It was an experimental action movie rooted in local culture but there was no social media to create awareness. I am proud of "Kantara," but it has come at a time when social media is at its peak. So, it is not true that "Kantara" is the only one film of its kind. It is a continuity of a rich tradition,” he says.

A journalist-turned-film director, Chaitanya acknowledges the impact of Girish Karnad on his work and filmography. Even watching Karnad interacting with technicians was a learning experience for him. Chaitanya says theatre is his first love, and documentary would be the next one. “I have a background in journalism. Documentaries suit my background combining creativity with facts. Cinema is technically the strongest medium, and most challenging one,” he said. 

Pan-India: Noise over nothing

K.M. Chaitanya strongly believes that pan-India is just a term and does not make sense in terms of artistic quality. “Stories cannot be pan-India, they have to be rooted. But art is universal. A person from Bengal can do fabulous camera work on a Tamil film. "Kantara" was set in local Karnataka but the story got universal acceptance. The deeper your roots are, the stronger your branches spread out in the world,” he reflects.

The acclaimed director gives examples of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s films and American TV series "Narcos". “All great art has to be rooted in its own ground only then will it get global acclaim,” he says. Further on, he reminds us of great Kannada actors like Anant Nag, Girish Karnad, Shankar Nag who did a lot of work in Hindi. “The age of social media makes us feel this is a new thing but that is just not true,” he says. 

Pandemic hitting the movie business 

The filmmaker reveals that mounting a film has become tough even in local regional markets and not just Bollywood. He believes OTT viewing is somewhat responsible for the same. According to him, bringing them to theatres will be a task. “The incidental costs of going to the cinema hall has also increased - from petrol costs to prices of snacks/beverages and so on. Watching a movie at a theatre is now a selective experience not as common as before,” he admits. He quotes Martin Scorsese who said people now equate watching a movie in cinema halls with a trip to the theme park.

“They are less and less interested in a story. They want an out of the world experience. This is putting pressure on every filmmaker.  No industry can make 20 100-crore films in a year. In the long run, such economics will not work,” he opines. 

South films upholding Hindu culture?

We also asked him about what he feels about many desis praising South Indian filmmakers for upholding Hindu values on social media. It is something we have strongly seen after the success of "Kantara." He addresses this calmly. “I would say that South directors make films rooted in their native culture. I would not term it as Hindu culture. There are movies like "Sudani from Nigeria" (2018) with a Muslim backdrop unique to Kerala. The term Hindu is not a homogeneous one. The definition of Hindu varies from state to state. I believe films rooted in their native culture do well, and not ones rooted in one homogenous identity. People praising SS Rajamouli and Rishab Shetty in this manner are doing a disservice to them,” he states.

Kannada filmmakers whom I admire 

I like the work of Prithvi Konanur who made "Pinki Elli," a very realistic film. Then there is filmmaker Aravind Kuplikar. Ram Reddy gave us an unforgettable movie like "Thithi." I also like Raghu Shivamogga who made "The Task," which got critical acclaim. We also had Shashank Soghal’s "Daredevil Musthafa." I also loved Utsav Gonwar’s "Photo," made during the pandemic.