Books on screenplay of films are a rarity in Kannada. Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar, successful director of Kannada films - America America, Nanna Preethiya Hudugi, Amrithadhare and Baa Nalle Madhuchandrake has come out with a book on his 1996 film - America America.
Foreward : Foreward for the book is writtern by popular Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind. Just like the character in the film Soorya, he expresses himself as an emotional guy who decided to stay in India when his friends left for US seeking better future. Before Nagathihalli tells his story of making the film, Ramesh lists down the incidents/experiences encountered during the making of the film. Surely, that is a reader's delight!
Screenplay : Screenplay of the film in this book not only contains the transcript but also other details like - why a particular location was chosen, what do some scenes symbolize and why were some dialogues written that way.
You also get to know what made the director act in a scene where Soorya secretly confesses his love for Bhoomika. Chandrashekhar also discusses the clash of cultures, philosophies in explaining some important scenes and he is objective in his approach. That Nagathihalli tried to capture the essence of US and NRIs is evident if you had watched the movie and it becomes more clear if you read this book.
Making of the Movie : Another must read section of the book is the making of the movie. Author starts with his dilemma in making this movie and the difficulties he would have to face since major part of the shooting had to be done in US. The comes the struggle in getting the VISA for the film unit. Nagathihalli then humorously introduces his team members. He also adds a bit of history about the fascinating Golden Gate bridge. Also, the writer does not forget to mention those people who helped him during the film shoot. At last, you have newspaper cuttings of the reviews of the film.
If you are interested in the art of film making, then this is one of the good books to have.
Foreward : Foreward for the book is writtern by popular Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind. Just like the character in the film Soorya, he expresses himself as an emotional guy who decided to stay in India when his friends left for US seeking better future. Before Nagathihalli tells his story of making the film, Ramesh lists down the incidents/experiences encountered during the making of the film. Surely, that is a reader's delight!
You also get to know what made the director act in a scene where Soorya secretly confesses his love for Bhoomika. Chandrashekhar also discusses the clash of cultures, philosophies in explaining some important scenes and he is objective in his approach. That Nagathihalli tried to capture the essence of US and NRIs is evident if you had watched the movie and it becomes more clear if you read this book.
Making of the Movie : Another must read section of the book is the making of the movie. Author starts with his dilemma in making this movie and the difficulties he would have to face since major part of the shooting had to be done in US. The comes the struggle in getting the VISA for the film unit. Nagathihalli then humorously introduces his team members. He also adds a bit of history about the fascinating Golden Gate bridge. Also, the writer does not forget to mention those people who helped him during the film shoot. At last, you have newspaper cuttings of the reviews of the film.
If you are interested in the art of film making, then this is one of the good books to have.
where can i possibly get this book?!
ReplyDeleteI got it from a Book fair. Let me get you the publisher details.
ReplyDeletethank you.. that would be great!
ReplyDeleteI landed on this page after watching the movie this past weekend (in 2018, 23 years after it came out!!!) (maybe the fourth time or so), as pure nostalgia and of course, from having lived in the US for more than a decade. The movie and its essence still hold true today, on both sides of the ocean!
ReplyDeleteI cringed when I read here that the foreword for this book was written by Ramesh Aravind! I somehow can't stand his [over]acting and dialog-delivery!
Anyway, lastly, I added my comment here mainly to ask you where I can find the book. I would like to read it very casually when I find the time, just out of curiosity. I searched Amazon for it, but didn't find it. So, please let me know where I can find it and I'll try get myself a copy! Thank you for the blog post!
Hi Vinatha,
DeleteWow, I am delighted with your response to this post. Especially having been in US and validating the essence of the movie.
Actually, I bought this book at a Kannada book fair, to be precise in Alva's Nudisiri in Moodabidri near Mangaluru. This book is published Abhivyakti Prakashana by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhara himself.
You can try to find this book in Sapna Book House which has multiple outlets in Bengaluru(Jayanagar, Koramangala, Indira Nagar, Gandhi Nagar), Ankita Pustaka, Basavanagudi or Navakarnataka Bookstall.
Sapna and Navakarnataka have their online presence too. See the links below
https://www.sapnaonline.com/
http://www.navakarnatakaonline.com/
If you are unable to find in any of these avenues, you can try to reach the publisher at the following address
"Abhivyakthi", No.166, 28th Cross, 17th Main, BSK II Stage, Bengaluru - 560070
Tel - 080 - 2671 5235
Actually I found the book in Navakarnataka online. You can buy the America America (Kannada) Screenplay book here - http://www.navakarnatakaonline.com/america-america-cinema-screenplay
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