‘Pawan Kalyan asked me to shoot Bheemla Nayak with a lot of responsibility’: Director Saagar K Chandra

During the lockdown, producer S Naga Vamsi called and told me about the idea of remaking Ayyappanum Koshiyum. We discussed how it can be tweaked for Telugu audiences. Once I was on board, we decided to make the film more commercial. The moment when I realised that Pawan Kalyan was going to star in the film was almost surreal. I am happy Bheemla Nayak happened to me after just two movies.

What was challenging when you were making changes in the original one?

When Trivikram and I were discussing adapting the film for its Telugu version, the first challenge was to make Biju Menon’s character larger than life and ensure that the film revolved around him. The character was played by Pawan Kalyan in Telugu. In Ayyappanum Koshiyum, Koshi’s character was more important. So, in Telugu, a kind of paradigm shift happened. We then had to crunch a 3-hour film into less than 2 hours 30 minutes. The original version was a procedural film, with most of the emotional outburst limited to the last 30 minutes. It’s difficult to keep the audience engaged for half an hour without change in the arc. To push up the tempo, we made many changes.

How was it working with Trivikram?

Trivikram is a towering personality and a flawless technician. He lives in a war room before conceptualizing a scene. I always looked up to him as a mentor. He is open to discussions, and I learned a lot from him. Without our collective effort, Bheemla Nayak wouldn’t have become a blockbuster hit.

How do you define your journey from Ayyare to Bheemla Nayak?

I was a rookie when I made Ayyare. I was clueless about the industry and its way of working. After Appatlo Okadundevadu, the industry opened up to me. Now Bheemla Nayak has got massive applause.

What were the new things that made way while making the film?

We didn’t have a textbook kind of filmmaking; it was organic. We didn’t want to dip the emotion in crucial scenes with multiple cuts. So, the shots were conceived according to it. It was more of fluid action. Some scenes like giving a lift on the bike – won’t work in the remake. So we chopped it. Also, Biju Menon walking out of a bus was an anticipated scene. But we tweaked the scene and made it more impactful. Whoever takes the side of good is the hero. So we ensured it comes out well in Bheemla Nayak’s character. This was challenging as the original was more tilted towards Koshi. I couldn’t get a chance to meet Sachy, the writer of Ayyappanum Koshiyum. Thanks to him for giving such a memorable film.

How industry reacted to your success?

I got calls from Surender Reddy, Krish, Sukumar, and many other people. Everyone showered praises on me. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart.

How did Pawan Kalyan react before and after the film’s shoot?

He told me to shoot the film with a lot of responsibility. And, he is very happy after watching the final output.

What is easier — making an original film or adapting a successful one?

This is a tricky question. Here, we considered Bheemla Nayak as a fresh project and made it conducive to the Telugu audience. So it was a different experience.