Creative satisfaction be damned!

'Duniya' Suri, who once painted signboards for a living, says he's burnt his fingers experimenting with realistic cinema and will make only masala movies henceforthu00a0u00a0 There are only two ways to make a quick buck politics and films. I chose films because I was an artist, says Duniya Suri, who hasn't forgotten his struggle to make ends meet as a signboard painter. Counted among the talented filmmakers in the Kannada film industry, Suri has made films that are visually and aesthetically appealing. Costly mistakes? He began as scriptwriter and assistant director for the film Mani, which was also the debut film of Yograj Bhat of Mungaru Male fame. The film won critical acclaim but failed miserably at the box office.u00a0 Suri's next film, Ranga SSLC, starring Sudeep, had Yograj Bhat wielding the megaphone. But this film too failed to connect with the audience. Mani was a flop but Ranga SSLC did average business, insists Suri.u00a0 In a post-mortem of the film, executed with clinical detachment, he says Mani was rejected because it had an art movie feel. Ranga SSLC was planned as a masala flick. The script was written keeping Sudeep's fans in mind but we messed up things once again, he admits. The big break Then came Duniya, his maiden directorial venture, which rocked the box office and bagged numerous awards. The film catapulted both Suri as well as actor Vijay to a different 'duniya'. It also raised the bar for his next film, Inti Ninna Preethiya.u00a0But wasn't Inti Ninna Preethiya a self-indulgent saga? No comments, says the director. The film tanked but industry bigwigs did not lose faith in Suri. Producer Rockline Venkatesh roped in Suri and Vijay to make Junglee, a mega budget film, but this one also flopped. You're wrong. Junglee has done well at the box office. The distributors got back their money. A film does not have to cross the 100-day mark to be declared a hit. A film completing 50 days is also considered a hit nowadays, he insists. However, he is quick to admit that he was very disappointed when Inti Ninna Preethiya did not fare well. It had a serious subject but people didn't receive it well. That's when I decided to concentrate on pucca commercial subjects that entice movie-goer to part with his hard-earned cash for three hours of fantasy, he explains. Does that mean he will only churn out potboilers? Creative satisfaction and money are equally important. I can't make a movie for my creative satisfaction alone. As a filmmaker, I should know what the audience wants, he replies. Acting? No thanks!Has he been tempted to act? I know my limitations. I am a very shy person. Acting is simply not my cup of tea. I find it difficult to look at my own photographs, how can the audience look at me on screen? he says with a hearty laugh. He has started working on the script of his next film a love story. That's sounds formulaic enough, doesn't it? he jokes.

Creative satisfaction be damned!

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