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Jeet with Ravi Kinnagi on the sets of 100 % Love at Ramoji Film City Hyderabad. Picture by Pabitra Das
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Ravi Kinnagi. The man who has churned out a hit parade of masala Bengali films inspired from biggies down south, is desperate to make something like a Junoon or Sholay someday. t2 caught up with the shy maker of 100 % Love.
100 % Love is doing well. How does it feel?
This pair (Jeet-Koel Mallick) has always worked. Their on-screen chemistry is fantastic. I have done the maximum number of films with Jeet and 100 % Love is probably our 10th film together. He is like a younger brother.
Your mother tongue is Kannada yet you make films in Bengali...
I was born and brought up in Bombay. My father Shankar Kinnagi was a producer in Bollywood in the Seventies. Shansad Films was the name of the production house and I was the spotboy on the sets of Kanoon Ka Shikar (Kabir Bedi and Neelam Mehra). Then I was an assistant in three films produced by Rajshri Productions — Paheli (1977) Naiyya (1979) and Humkadam (1980). I moved from Bollywood and started assisting Prashant Nanda in Oriya films. My first film was Manini (Oriya) which had a silver jubilee run in Orissa.
My first break in Bangla films was around 20 years ago. I did Jiban Sangi (1990) with Tapasda (Pal) and Archana Joglekar. The film was a hit but I went back to Oriya films. With Annadata (starring Prosenjit), Ashok Dhanuka (producer) re-introduced me to Bengal.
I have done Oriya, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi films. I can speak seven languages. It’s God-gifted that I can understand the language, I know how one should speak the dialogues and where one should take a pause. I want to make a Telugu film because the Telugu industry has taught Bollywood to spend money. They have been making expensive films much before Hindi films. I am also craving to make a Hindi film.
All your Bengali films are remakes of south Indian films. Do you show your films to the directors down south?
No. I don’t think they are interested to watch what we have done. We don’t meet the directors. We buy rights from the producers. Only once did I meet Yograj Bhat, the director of the Kannada film Mungaru Male. Premer Kahini (starring Dev-Koel) was a remake of that film. Mungaru Male was a huge hit. I spoke to him to discuss the climax in which the hero and the heroine separate. I had asked him if he had thought of any other ending. He told me everybody else was apprehensive about it but he was confident. But in Premer Kahini I changed it because we were worried whether a tragic end would work.
You’ve done 15 Bengali films, pick one closest to you...
Bandhan (Jeet-Koel) and Poran Jai Joliya Re (Dev-Subhashree).
Nowadays different kinds of films are being made in Tollywood, don’t you want to be a part of that change?
I want to direct “parallel films”. I want to make a film like Bye Bye Bangkok!
Why don’t you make an original film?
I want to do a film based on Bengali literature. But for that I have to give it at least six months. I will do that when I have my own production house. I have only made films for the fast-food age, roll bana lo khao aur chalo, order deke baithne ka time nahin hai. That’s how films are also made nowadays.
A long time back when I was an assistant director in Bombay, two big films released — Junoon and Sholay. I had promised myself that one day I will make a film like Junoon and Sholay.
You maintain a very low profile...
I am a shy person. I can’t mix with people easily. My films should speak for me.
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