“Friendship alone will last in any relationship for several years, because sexual attraction dies very soon” Says PURI JAGANNADH

In this exclusive and intimate interview, for bollyy.com and Mayapuri, director PURI JAGANNADH who has directed Vijay Devarakonda in Liger tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that he has delivered 40 films in Telugu and Hindi including Badri with Ameesha Patel and Buddha Hoga Terra Baap with Amitabh Bachchan in the last 22 years.

All eyes are now on Vijay Deverakonda's Bollywood debut Liger, which is simultaneously shot in Hindi and Telugu. The pan-India film is making the right noise among the viewers with songs and trailers already becoming a rage across the country.

The popularity of VD has been witnessing a great hike post the humongous success of films like Arjun Reddy and Geetha Govindam as the Hindi dubbed versions of these films garnered immense praises from the north circuit on the satellite.

Excerpts from the interview

Ligar is not exactly your debut film in Hindi as a director. Isn’t it?

Ligar is actually my third film in Hindi as a director. My first film was Shart which was followed by Buddha Hoga Terra Baap with Amitabh Bachchan in the main lead.

I suppose like your other two films, you are the writer of this film too!

Yes. I make it a point to direct only films which have been written by me. I had written the subjects of not only Shart but also Buddha Hoga Terra Baap and have written the subject of Liger too.

How did Liger happen?

Some years ago, I had narrated two stories to Vijay Devarakonda. Though he was excited after hearing both the subjects, he was more excited when he heard Liger. I have kept the other story on hold.

When and how did Karan Johar enter the picture as a producer?

It was actually Vijay who suggested the idea to me to pitch the subject of Liger to Karan Johar and make it as a PAN India film though Charmy was finalized as the producer of Liger.

Vijay told me that Karan had met him when Arjun Reddy was being remade in Hindi and asked him to suggest any subject which he was ready to make in Hindi and I was game to narrate the subject to Karan. Who would not love Karan to make his film?

Why did you decide to title your film as Liger, which is a very unusual title for a film in Hindi?

Actually we had planned to register Fighter as the title but there were already many films in various languages which were being made under the title of Fighter and hence we decided to launch the film with the title of Liger, which means the cross breed of a tiger and a lion.

OK Puri. I can understand if you had planned to cast a Telugu actress opposite Vijay in Liger. What made you zero in on Anaya Pandey as the leading lady?

Actually I am a crazy fan of Sridevi and wanted to cast her daughter Janhavi Kapoor as the leading lady but Karan Johar told me that he wanted to cast Ananya Pandey as the leading lady

Why did you make the film in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi as a PAN India film instead of a regional film in Telugu with Vijay?

Since we wanted to shoot on an International level with MMA fighters, we decided to make it as a PAN India film with a lavish budget in all the three languages.

Whose idea was it to cast Mike Tyson in the film?

When someone suggested to me to cast someone who resembled Mike Tyson in the film, I thought why should not I cast like Tyson himself in the role instead of casting some lookalike, though it did take me almost a year to zero in on him and sign him for the role.

You had cast Charmy Kaur as a leading lady in your last Hindi film Buddha Hoga Terra Baap. Why did you ask her to be just a producer of Liger instead of casting her in the film?

That is because Charmy had left acting some thirteen years ago and was keen on taking up production as she felt she was a better administrator.

You had assisted Ramgopal Varma in a few films of his. Are you also a bigger romantic at heart than Ramu?

Though I had assisted Ramuji in a few films of his in Telugu, I would not hesitate to state that he is any day more romantic than I am. (Laughs)

Is it true that you are rumored to be in a relationship with Charmy?

All that I can say is that no one would be bothered about whether I am having an affair with Charmy if she was 50 or a fat and ugly woman or if she were married to someone else. The fact is that I know Charmy right from the time she was just a 13 year old young girl.

Friendship alone will persist and continue in any relationship which continues for several years, because let’s face facts sexual attraction dies very soon in any relationship.

What next after Liger?

I have already gone on the floors with my next film titled Jan Gan Man. The film has Vijay Devarakonda once again and has been teamed opposite Pooja Hegde

You did not approach Janhvi Kapoor this time for Jan Gan Man?

I did but unfortunately for me, Janhvi could not allot to me her dates to match those of Vijay for the film when I approached her with the script of my film Jan Gan Man.

How happy are you as a filmmaker who has made mainstream masala films all these years?

For the past 22 years, I am known as a masala filmmaker though I have also tried my hands at making a few non formula films, which did not run at all. Even I want to know what the right formula is to make successful formula films.

Unless and until there is some madness in a movie, people will not throng to the theatres to watch it and will remain content sitting at home watching the films on OTT platforms. Isn’t it? All said and done, I think people love to see movies more in theatres than on OTT platforms, because with so much content on OTT platforms, you just switch off your OTT platforms. Isn’t it?