Balayya stood by me during tough times: Puri Jagannadh
Director Puri Jagannadh talks about his passion for writing, Paisa Vasool and how Balakrishna was his pillar of support.
In a career spanning 17 years, Puri Jagannadh had directed several superstars, but even today, he draws inspiration from his own sense of conviction. “I always believe that life is a war. Every day we learn something but at the end of the day we die without learning anything. Humans learn many things and because of their knowledge they get distracted and disrupted in life. And to come out of the mess, they opt for wellness treatments, meditation and exercises and finally get enlightened only to know that they didn’t learn anything and know nothing. Only humans go through this foolish process because animals are already enlightened,” narrates Puri, who started writing at the age of 10.
“I enjoy writing a lot. I get high when I write stories, especially the dialogues. I have a dream to write 10 stories and give them to 10 directors to be made under my production,” he says. In fact, writing is Puri’s first love — which is why no amount of box-office drama can distract him from his goal.
A close look at his body of work only suggests that there’s bit of Puri in all his heroes’ characterisations.
“Balayya heard just 10 minutes of the story. I wanted to give a complete narration but said ‘nenu nee cinema lu chusaanu, nuvvento naaku telusu (I saw your films and I know your capabilities)’,” he mentions, adding, “I started respecting him even more after that. I presented a real Balayya in Paisa Vasool through the character of Theda Singh. I like his smile, but for the past 15 years I have never seen him smiling on screen. So, I asked him to deliver all the dialogues with a smile.”
On Balayya Puri reveals, “His energy levels are 10 times more than that of all the younger heroes. Once he trusts the director, he supports him completely. He wakes up at 4 AM and comes to the sets by 6 AM. I bonded with him big time. We share many common interests including movies and music. He always listens to his dad’s (NTR) songs and Hindi classics.”
Talking about the recent drug racket in Tollywood, the filmmaker received a big jolt when he was summoned for questioning in the case. What was his reaction to the whole scenario? “We’ve been discussing about the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the drugs case on our What’sApp group. Actor Subba Raju first received the notice. Soon, my wife called me and said that cops had come to my house and served a notice. Then I called Ravi Teja and told him that we had received the notices and he burst into laughter. Subsequently, everybody got the notices, and we literally made a mockery of it,” Puri shares.
But amid the chaos, media reports and the police questioning, how difficult was it to focus on work? “Definitely, it was the biggest disturbance. But I am a tough nut to crack. I have the habit of moving ahead in life, and focused on the film,” he responds.
The Jyothi Lakshmi helmer also reveals that Balayya was his sole support system during that time. “Balayya was the only hero who called my wife and kids to give moral support and strength and he stood by my family.”
Puri adds that he was pleased with the way his daughter responded to her father’s detractors on social media. “As a dad, I felt proud about Pavithra’s post. She too worked on this film and knows how I toil. She was annoyed when the media was projecting me as a drug addict and drug peddler. However, I felt very happy to know that there is an angry kid at home who can face and fight this world. Now she is doing her BBA and soon she will don the role of film producer.”