The poster and trailer of the psychological thriller English film Different were unveiled recently. The event took place at a grand function held in Mumbai. DVV Danayya (producer of RRR) was the chief guest. Also present were the producer of Sooryavansham GV Narasimha Rao, VP Padmalaya studio, Akbar Khan, Mukesh Rishi and others. It is produced by NSVD Sankara Rao and directed by (Dragann) Uday Bhaskar. The Free Press Journal caught up with its lead actor Saran for a chat.
Saran
Opening up about his character in the film, Saran says, “I play a different role in this movie. The title itself is Different. Someone who is mentally and physically challenged has body dysmorphia where he hates himself. His world is filled with illusions and excitement. This really challenged me as an actor and gave me full satisfaction in performing. I realised that I have this scope of acting only thanks to my director. The movies I grew up watching were commercial films where acting is usually dance and fighting, but this opened up my possibilities of expressing myself not only as an artist but as a human being. I am happy to be part of the movie. More than anything, I’m so thrilled to say Telugu films are now part of world cinema right now.”
Saran
Different is being compared to Ram Gopal Varma’s films. “One thing I can assure you is that when it comes to Indian filmmakers, there are some commercial elements involved. But you see, in terms of technicality, I am sure they must not have achieved. If you will see in terms of original stories and events, Different walks away with the cake,” he explains.
We quiz Saran if the film is copied from a Hollywood film. He replies, “No it is not. Are you talking about body dysmorphia the mental illness? Maybe you may feel that way for just certain glimpses. However, I assure you, throughout our film, there is much more. The puppet is a surprise for the audiences; they will love it.”
Poster of IPL It's Pure Love
Saran is returning to celluloid after quite some time. However, he insists he wasn’t on a sabbatical. “I didn’t take a break. Everyone knows it’s been part of a pandemic situation. By the way, we shot this film during the Covid-19 pandemic. The best part of the movie is that it was shot in real-time. If it was night effect, we actually shot it at midnight. The lighting is top-notch. I don’t think there is any gap. I worked in few movies in the past four years... Rose Garden, the other one is IPL It's Pure Love,” he avers.
A still from Rose Garden
Different is an English film and is not being done in Hindi or Telugu as is the current norm. “I don’t think the director is aiming for Indian audiences, I don’t want to sound like an egoist, but he has a certain target audience in mind. As far as I know, its business is already done. The film has already done overseas business, and the part where we are planning to release this film has also been closed. We are planning to release it in July 2022,” he signs off.
