'Hyderabad Blues' was mistaken for a blue film

 'Hyderabad Blues' was mistaken for a blue film
Wednesday, May 28, 2014 13:44 IST
By Santa Banta News Network
After 10 years in Atlanta, USA, 37-year-old Nagesh Kukunoor, returned to his hometown of Hyderabad, armed with a Master's degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia University of Technology.

He was chasing a long cherished dream of making a film which will launch a career in cinema. He had already written the script while still in the US and the story liberally borrowed from the experiences of an NRI friend who was going through the process of an arranged marriage, and his own feelings of alienation as he tried to figure out which was home--India or America?

Since no one was willing to back a novice, Nagesh decided to produce and direct the film himself. He invested his savings, Rs 1.7 million, in Hyderabad Blues, shot it over17 days and jump-started the indie film movement in India.

"I did not follow a single rule of commercial cinema. There were no songs and dances, the film was in three languages--Hindi, English and Telugu, and featured the cheapest actor I could find," laughs Nagesh, who was forced to play the protagonist, Varun Naidu, because the actors he auditioned were either amateurs from drama circles, or from the fringes of the Telugu film industry who did not speak a word of Hindi or English.

He recalls shooting the climax at a marriage hall swarming with his own relatives who filled the mandap leaving just around eight people in the audience.

"I managed to create the impression of crowds using creative angles, a trick I use even today," he admits, recalling how during the course of the day he changed the camera set-up over 50 times.

"And since my only assistant director Elahe Hiptoola was also acting in the film, I had to keep track of the shots. And I couldn't over-shoot because given my shoestring budget I would then be eating into another shot."

It was enough to give any filmmaker the blues but for Nagesh the Blues in the title came from his own sense of rootlessness.

However, the first reaction from the censors was, `Title badlo' because they thought it referred to pornography and he'd made a blue film.


"When I tried telling them that by blues I meant sad, they were even more convinced that I should change my title because you couldn't project Hyderabad as a city of depressed people," he laughs at the memory.

"Shyam Shroff even made me change my tagline from `Thirst for home' to "A man caught between two cultures' to ensure that people here connected with the rom-com. Fortunately, no one objected to the rickshaw in the poster which today has become a relic of the past but 16 years ago it was a way of integrating the past with the future."

The film finally opened on July 17, 1998 and went on to become a surprise hit. Says Nagesh, "And though I had never thought of it earlier, six years later I came up with Hyderabad Blues 2 which gave me the bragging right to say that I had kick started the trend of sequels using the word 2 in the title."
Shraddha Kapoor Channels Sridevi's Elegance in Her Latest Photoshoot!

Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor has once again captured the hearts of her fans with her latest photoshoot, where she beautifully channeled the grace and elegance of the legendary actress

Thursday, September 19, 2024
Parineeti Chopra Showcases Culinary Skills with a Simple Three-Ingredient Brownie at Her ?Sasural?!

Actress Parineeti Chopra, who recently tied the knot with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha, is back in her 'sasural' in New Delhi and has already impressed her followers with

Thursday, September 19, 2024
Vikrant Massey-Starrer 'The Sabarmati Report' Set for November 15 Release!

Actor Vikrant Massey is gearing up for his latest film, "The Sabarmati Report," which has been officially locked for a November 15, 2024 release. This highly anticipated thriller, produced by

Thursday, September 19, 2024
Shraddha Kapoor Tells You Why Self-Validation Is Important In Femina?s September 2024 Edition!

Shraddha Kapoor, celebrated for her versatility, is one of the most sought-after actors in Hindi cinema. She became a household name with Aashiqui 2, capturing the hearts of millions with

Thursday, September 19, 2024
Salim Khan Faces Fresh Death Threats: Bollywood Writer Targeted Again!

Veteran Bollywood writer Salim Khan has recently received another death threat, sparking concerns across Bollywood circles. The threat came from an unidentified woman, who ominously warned of

Thursday, September 19, 2024