"BECOMING INDIVIDUAL DIRECTOR IS NOT AN EASY JOKE"- ORUGANTY RAGHU

( BY N.THYAGARAJAN)


Directing films or mega soaps for TV channels is not new to him. It is in his genes. For the mega serial Mouna Ragam's ( Zee TV- Telugu) director Oruganty Raghu Sankar it is too difficult to become an individual director. He entered as an Assistant Director to Late K.Applacharyar who did a lot of comedy films in those days. In the next year ( 1984) he joined as Assistant Director K.S.R.Das and worked for some films. Aftermath he joined as an Assistant to ace director K.Raghavendra Rao and worked with him for many successful films for more than 12 years.He also did assistant direction under Y.V.S.Chowdry for the Telugu film OHM. He learnt many things from Kannada film director Upendra. His father O.S.R.Anjaneyulu who is director of low-budget films in those days did 10 movies. For each and every milestone of his career advancement he never used his father's name to get chance. " All I did because, I am interested in directing films and serials" says Raghu to the Guide.

Today, Mouna Ragam, the Zee TV's Telgu Channel mega-serial is highly rated in the market and with the requests from the viewers the episodes of the serial have been increased by another 100 days.

He adds" Today people are seeing variety of entertainments in various channels. You can't cheat them with some filthy stories which are already shown either in films or in other tv soaps. Many thought Mouna Ragam now being shown in the ZEE Telugu channel was the remake of the Tamil film Mouna Ragam. Really it is not so. If it is so, why then there were thousands of phone calls and letters from viewers from various parts of the country asking us to continue the serial? In fact the Hansa Vision who produces the serial wanted to complete the story with 250 episodes.Knowing the soap is coming to an end the viewers wrote to the Zee Telugu Channel to continue it for some more time."

Raghu says, "There is a chemistry for each and every show. Once we cross the limits then the serial or any film will flop. I had seen it in my career. That is why I said, people are not fools. They take good things always from us and wish to continue watch the serial",.

Speaking about the success of the mega-serial ( Mouna Ragam ) and the extension of the soaps by further 100 episodes,he said, the soap had gone beyond 265 episodes, because it was a good story-weight as well script-wise. He says the artistes in the serial were the familiar artistes of many successful films. Raj Kumar, Seenu, Lakshmi Raj, Bhanu Prakash, Suchitra, Sri Vidya, Bhuvaneswari, Vandana, Lakshmi Priya, Thathaneni Rajeswari who perform their excellent acting under the versatile director Raghu. "Hence, I did not feel any tiredness or vexed in directing this soap" says Raghu.

When asked about the success for the serial with high TRP market in the newly launched channel Zee ( Telugu), he said, " I am really happy about the story. It is a story of love. After marriage they start to love each other. Each exposes their love silently even after their marriage. When he wants to reciprocate his love to her some incidents take place. She mistakes him. When she wants to do something to him with love, again some other mistakes takes place. He mistakes her. In this way, the story is woven, without getting bored for the viewers", says the Director.

When asked about what is his next project for direction, he rises his hand above his shoulders "God alone knows" tells in Telugu "anni Aayenakay telusu".