French Biriyani', the second Kannada film to be released directly on an OTT platform after the pandemic broke out, comes with great expectations.
Produced under the banner of Puneeth Rajkumar Productions (PRK), it is written and directed by Pannaga Bharana and can be seen on Amazon Prime from July 24.
The story is based on a real-life experience. “I had an absurd experience with an auto driver when I was in Chennai. Looking back, what happened during the three-hour ride was both scary and entertaining,” Pannaga told Showtime.
He discussed the incident with a friend and wrote the script but had to keep it in cold storage as he couldn’t find the right actors. The script is co-written by Avinash Balekkala.
Pannaga was keen on an actor who would express the idiosyncrasies of the main character and also speak multiple languages.
“That’s when I was introduced to Danish Sait, through (actor) Prajwal. Avinash knew Danish’s work and suggested that he could pull it off,” he says.
Danish plays auto driver Asgar Ali and Sal Yusuf plays a French tourist. Rangayana Raghu plays a cop, Mahantesh a wannabe don and Disha Madan a TV reporter.
What happens when Asgar gets stuck with a French tourist in Shivajinagar, a bustling Bengaluru neighbourhood with a diverse mix of communities, forms the story. Those who are familiar with Shivajinagar will surely relate to the chaos and the comedy, says Pannaga.
The director is also all praise for music director Vasuki Vaibhav. “He is known for his melody, but I wanted him to mix EDM, rap and a host of other genres. He stepped out of his comfort zone and created music that is unique,” says Pannaga.
Avinash Balekkala, who co-wrote the script with Pannaga, says brainstorming with Pannaga and Danish, both hardcore Bengalureans, helped him write his punchlines. And Danish’s flair for improvisation was a big advantage.
Comedy cuts through language: Danish Sait
Actor, radio jockey, writer and stand-up comedian Danish Sait, who made his debut in Kannada films with ‘Humble Politician Nograj’, returns to play an auto driver in ‘French Biriyani'.
Dubbing the film a laugh riot, Danish tells Showtime. He hopes the film will help people beat the current blues. What happens when two characters get stuck in an auto with a bag is what drives the story forward.
“Asgar’s character brings with it loads of laughter and the truth is that comedy comes from a lot of pain. You must imagine yourself in somebody else’s world to be able to laugh and cry like them. I have attempted that in this film,” adds Danish.
He says Pannaga has also made him a better performer. “He pushed me to do things that I would never do,” says Danish. He feels his ability to speak many languages has worked in his favour.
More offbeat films coming up: Puneeth Rajkumar
Puneeth Rajkumar tells Showtime ‘French Biriyani’ is one of the many more interesting films to come.
Your interest in non-mainstream films…
What’s important for me is to tell a good story. We constantly strive to do something new with scripts and subjects. ‘French Biriyani’ has a pan-Indian appeal because of the many languages in it. There’s Kannada and a sprinkling of French, Urdu and Tamil. It’s a mix of laughter and entertainment.
You’ve sung ‘Enu maadodu swamy…’ in the film.
We tried to bring out that best given the constraints that we were working under. I think Vasuki has done a great job. I also liked the Bengaluru song, sung by Aditi Sagar. We will start making more films and get newer scripts. There might be ups and downs, but we’ll keep working hard to make new films.
This is releasing directly on OTT. Do you think people will miss the big-screen experience?
The charm of watching a film in a theatre will never fade, or theatres would never have grown to this level. OTT has also grown in recent times and it has its own advantages. This technology has been around for a long time, it is just the current situation that is prompting us to debate whether films should release in the theatres or on OTT.