Raj Nidimouru: ‘I Can’t Take Credit For Samantha’s Success’

‘Samantha has been a consistent draw at the box office long before Maa Inti Bangaaram.’

Raj Nidimoru is in a happy phase.

The filmmaker is enjoying the success of his latest work Maa Inti Bangaaram, which stars his wife Samantha Ruth Prabhu. He’s also all set for fatherhood, as Samantha is on maternity leave.

“There is a spirit in a lot of women in defending who they are and fighting for equality. Fighting for their rights, their dignity, their place on earth… So this is an interesting visual cinematic representation of that spirit,” Raj tells Subhash K Jha.

Raj, usually, we talk about the woman behind a man’s success. Here, there is a man behind the woman?

Thank you. I can’t take credit for Sam’s success. She has been a consistent draw at the box office long before Maa Inti Bangaaram.

How does Maa Inti Bangaaram impact Samantha’s career as well as Telugu cinema, since it has become the most successful ‘Shero’ film (a female-oriented film) in Telugu cinema?

I’m very happy with the results. It’s almost like… first, it was Stree, which I wrote, and now this.

Yes, you are no stranger to strong female characters.

Yeah, and a female-led film twice, once in Hindi and now in Telugu, doing so well, is really heartening and exciting. You can make all kinds of incredible stories, and not really worry about who’s headlining it, whether it is a guy or a girl. So that’s a big breakthrough.

‘I think I have always created strong female characters’

You have written very strong characters for Samantha in Family Man and Citadel: Honey Bunny.

Yeah. I have enjoyed creating these characters. I think I have always created strong female characters in any movie, even if it is female-led or not. But the interesting dichotomy here is that normally we associate strong action with men, right? Because men are physically stronger.

But you have repeatedly gone back to making the woman strong enough to take on the man.

I think it is a fighting spirit, really an embodiment of the fighting spirit that I wanted to show in physical action. There is a spirit in a lot of women in defending who they are and fighting for equality. Fighting for their rights, their dignity, their place on earth… So this is an interesting visual cinematic representation of that spirit.

Did you expect it to be so successful when you were writing it?

In this case, yes. From the start, when there was an idea of this sari-clad daughter-in-law entering a traditional Telugu household and with this twist in it, I knew it was a winner of an idea.

A mainstream, exciting idea that I was hoping I could write it well and put it together well because movies tend to go flat or the big idea may get flattened on screen.

Yeah, it’s one of those ideas which could easily have gone south.

Yeah, that’s the risk. That’s why I wanted to make sure that from the first page to the last edit and the shoot, it should not lose its place and what it’s trying to say.

‘Creatively, you have to be fully involved from A to Z’

Was it important for you to have this film directed by a woman or is that just a happy coincidence?

A happy coincidence. Director Nandini Reddy and I made the film together so it was more of a partnership.

Even in Stree, you contributed immensely to the overall film, not just the writing?

Whatever label you give ourselves in a film…. Creatively, you have to be fully involved from A to Z. It’s about making the film together.

The good part is that we write, direct, produce, edit, mix all kinds of things, so the idea is to have a good collaborator. To be as participative as possible.

We’ve always been collaborative, that’s how we make films. Maa Inti Bangaaram is another collaborative venture.

And one of your most successful ones?

Yeah. I’m so excited about the fact that when you make a mainstream film that people love, it’s deja vu for me from Stree to this. I was able to repeat it and the biggest achievement and excitement is in this.

‘I heard that a lot of those saris that Sam wore in Maa Inti Bangaaram were sold’

Do you feel the concept worked because Telugu cinema has fallen into a rut? There are so many special effects-driven films, so many mythologicals. Do you feel the audience is tired of that, and so they grabbed this film with both hands?

I don’t know. I’m not sure I design it like that. Because most of the films and series, whatever DK and I have done, have been occasions to try and subvert. Like subvert the spy genre in The Gentleman or go that unexpected route, irrespective of what is out there.

We always hope to find stories and make stories that are not out there but can still be an exciting draw. Something that the audience has not seen or wants to see. There is the surprise element.

Is the sari your favourite attire?

This woman had to be wearing the traditional costume. That’s why it’s a period setting. If the movie was made in the current time, it would have been harder to stick to the sari. But I suspect, I don’t know how far this is true, but I suspect sari sales will go up steeply after this. I heard that a lot of those saris that Sam wore in Maa Inti Bangaaram were sold.

Now the second part?

I’m not so eager with sequels usually and there’s no urgency either. So once I finish my other films, I’ll get to this.

Are you working on the fourth part of Family Man now?

We’re still writing that. It’ll probably be out next year.

I believe the film happens majorly in the writing, one piece during directing and another piece during the editing.

Is it true your original composer Santosh Narayan has quit?

That’s internal. He’s done good music for us, but in the last few days, we had to really fix it on the spot.

Happy times for you, Raj. This success and now, parenthood.

Thank you. You’ve seen me make all kinds of films.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff