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In its second week, director Vivek Athreya’s Telugu film Saripodhaa Sanivaaram continues to be warmly received by the audience. At his office in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Vivek Athreya confesses, “Post release, I have been catching up on (lost) sleep and spending time with my seven-month-old son.” He says it was a race to the finish line for the action entertainer starring Nani, SJ Suryah and Priyanka Arul Mohan.
When the release date (August 29) was announced in February, only 20% of the film had been completed. Since considerable portions had to be filmed outdoors, shooting in June and July proved to be challenging. The climax, planned to be filmed over 12 days, took 20 days due to rain. The film involved several actors, managing their different schedules was tough. In hindsight, Vivek thinks he could have smoothened out a few rough edges if not for the time constraints.
Considering his earlier films — Mental Madhilo, Brochevarevarura, and Ante Sundaraniki — many were sceptical that he could pull off an action thriller. Vivek sees Saripodhaa… as a reflection of the star-led masala entertainers he had grown up enjoying, alongside family and social dramas.
Sidestep cliches
When he began writing Saripodhaa…, about a protagonist taught by his mother to channel his anger, and an antagonist who unleashes his rage on hapless people, Vivek wanted to subvert a few cliches of mainstream cinema.
“I have always loved drama. While writing Saripodhaa…. I tried to conceive rousing theatrical moments by keeping the drama intact. For instance, many viewers have appreciated the twist in the pub scene involving the clock. In an earlier scene, as Ajay Ghosh speaks, we subtly focus on the clock. Given the volume of information in the initial portions, I knew that the audience could forget this detail. So when a twist involving the boy and the clock happens, it comes as a surprise.”
Vivek was clear that he wanted a hero who was restrained. “Sunday to Friday, he is a normal son to his father, a doting brother to his sister, and works as an insurance agent but on Saturday, he explodes. The mother’s story (Abhirami as Chaya) serves as an emotional anchor. I did not want a hero who could do anything and get away with it. We see how Nature selects the day on which he can express his anger and that creates a strong foundation.”
The unfinished conversation between the mother and son defines the hero’s evolution. Vivek explains, “We often view anger in a negative connotation. I thought if anger can be channeled, it can serve a purpose. The hero learns that nijamaina kopam (true anger) should give people hope rather than instilling fear.”
Vivek wanted to avoid the trope of a saviour hero. “The idea was to show that a vigilante hero can rise from one among us.” A reference point while writing Nani’s character (Surya) was Batman. “He is one of the most grounded superheroes. He has his fears (of bats) but he has to overcome his shortcomings and measure up.”
The presence of the sister (Aditi Balan as Bhadra) in the later portions also comes close to a stereotype that gets subverted. “In an initial draft, I wanted the sister also to be present during the climax. But both Nani and I felt it would not make sense if the hero remained silent while his sister, whom he now considers a mother figure, is roughed up. So we opted for the hospital scene for the sister.”
The supporting cast
The casting — Abhirami as the mother, Aditi Balan as the sister and Sai Kumar as the father — gave the characters an edge. “Abhirami was magical as the mother; when she was on the screen, I found it tough to notice anyone else.” Vivek requested her to sport a large bindi and loosely tie her hair. “Even though she is supposedly ailing, I did not want to explain her illness. Her children only remember the mother as a healthy woman, who never showed her vulnerable self.”
Sai Kumar and Vivek Athreya on the sets of ‘Saripodhaa Sanivaaram’
While Abhirami is shown as the strong mother who stands up against domestic abuse, the inspiration for the father’s character, Sankaram, came from Kamal Haasan’s role in Mahanadi. “In this film, we see Sai Kumar constantly doing something — making dosas, sorting out clothes and vessels or checking his son’s activities to ward off trouble. My brief to Sai Kumar was that the father character should not carry the pain of the mother’s absence. Sai Kumar was terrific in delivering the fun lines and portraying a concerned father.”
Avoid the flashback
Vivek reveals that he wanted S.J Suryah to play an unpredictable antagonist without going overboard. The trigger for the character was the Sathankulam incident in Tamil Nadu involving police custodial deaths. “Daya (SJ Suryah) is the film’s most important and tricky character. He can instil fear even when he is beaten up. He shares a comical equation with his brother Kurmanand (Murali Sharma) and turns into a monster in Sokulapalem. I had to strike a balance between making Daya entertaining and menacing.”
The villain’s introduction scene which unexpectedly opens up his backstory has been appreciated. Vivek intended to avoid a flashback. “I enjoyed writing that scene, as well as the coffee-tea tug of war between the brothers.”
The protagonist and antagonist are a study in contrast. Both have anger and sibling issues. While the hero’s anger is kept in check by his family, the antagonist’s rage wreaks havoc.
Surya and Thalapathi
Nani in ‘Saripodhaa Sanivaaram’
Ask Vivek if the inspiration for naming the protagonist Surya and the undercurrent of anger comes from Mani Ratnam’s Thalapathi and he concurs with a smile. “I always wanted to name one of my protagonists Surya. It is a powerful name. I even considered naming the antagonist Deva (Mammootty in Thalapathi).”
As for the mother’s influence and a piece of her red sari that remains with the hero, Vivek explains, “In each frame where the mother is present, there is an element of red, which later gets extended to Surya. In contrast, we used dark green for Daya and pastel greens for Kurmanand.”
The names Surya, Bhadra, Chaya (mother) and Sankaram (father) are also an ode to the Sun God’s family.
A childhood scene involving the mother and son on a sandy beach, perched on a wooden log, is also a nod to Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal. “It was definitely a reference point,” Vivek acknowledges. “Some of those images made me want to be a filmmaker.”
An action musical
Vivek terms Saripodhaa… as a musical, though all the songs were not used in the film. Vivek says it was a choice to not have Nani and Priyanka Mohan break into a song and dance soon after the proposal scene, to avoid undermining the thriller mood. “Sa ri ma pa’ was the first song we finalised but decided against using it in the film.” With composer Jakes Bejoy, Vivek worked on specific themes for characters. “For example, the veena is used to convey the mysterious nature of Daya in some portions.”
No brutality, please
Unlike recent action entertainers defined by brutal violence, Vivek says he did not want his protagonist and the people of Sokulapalem to end up as killers. He also avoided showing a close-up shot of a child falling over a knife (kathi peeta); in another scene, he avoided showing the heroine getting slapped by Daya. “It was sufficient to convey the impact without explicitly showing the violence.”
Discussing the performances, Vivek says the team knew that SJ Suryah had the author-backed part filled with histrionics. For Nani, the brief was to keep it subtle and explode only in crucial moments. “Rather than clenching his fist to control his anger, I wanted my hero to refer to the story of how Krishna and Satyabhama came together to slay Narakasura.” Later, this is also turned around to encourage people to stand up against evil rather than look for a saviour.
Abhirami’s character works as the emotional anchor for the story
Writing an action drama with several characters and subplots, says Vivek, involved a fair amount of editing to contain the length. “Sometimes I wonder why I deal with so many layers. But that is what makes the narrative unique.”
The box office success has brought in cheer, especially after Vivek and Nani’s earlier collaboration Ante Sundaraniki, drew critical acclaim but did not set the box office on fire. “Nani said the success of Saripodhaa… validates our collaboration for Ante… and I agree. Today, some people say they liked Ante… better than Saripodhaa... Similarly, some people liked Mental Madhilo more than Broche... These opinions are bound to be there. I think the climax of Saripodhaa… could have been better. With the script of Ante…, I have no such issues.”
Vivek is now on a break before announcing his next film. He and Nani hope to collaborate again, this time for a full-fledged comedy film.
Published – September 11, 2024 03:19 pm IST
