The climaxes
of a few recent Telugu movies had the audience reaching for their hankies
instead of popcorn as filmmakers experiment
Mouthing
explosive dialogues, action sequences, bloodshed, etc., were the hallmark of
typical Tollywood climax. Some of these scenes were usually ripped off from one
or multiple sources. Of late, Telugu filmmakers are mounting emotionally taut
climaxes that have the audience glued about the outcome. It could be one of
those moments when you lean back on your seat as the lights come on and say
Damn! I did not see that coming'.
Filmmakers
have realised that a smart resolution is as much a part of a good film as the
overall plot. And when a filmmaker settles for a climax that touches the heart,
you'll walk out of the theatre with moist-eyes. Of course, the actors need to
have the acting chops to pull off the gamble.
TEST OF
SKILL
Climactic reunions at the airport or
railway station are almost a template. Anyone can fit their story in it, and
will most certainly find a climax for their film unfolding automatically.
However, Trivikram Srinivas (Attarintiki Daredi) pulled off one of the finest
railway station climaxes for the Pawan Kalyan-starrer. The director gave an innovative twist to the
conventional done-to-death climax scene, where there's a lot of bloodshed. The
scene, as usual, has the protagonist confronting the opponents. However, what
sets the climax apart are two things " the writing, and
the performance. Pawan's performance in the film was perhaps one of the best in
his career which left the audience teary-eyed.
Talking
about the scene, Trivikram says, "I wanted the climax to be a bit different from
the conventional ones, and I took a couple of months to pen it down. I spoke to
Pawan on how the highpoint would be filmed and he gave the green signal. It was
an intense and highly emotional scene and we were confident that if we could
pull that off, we would be successful."
The climax
of Mahesh Babu's latest release is another example. The writing is smart and the
performances are remarkable. The scene where Mahesh discovers the directions to
his house whilst sharing screen space with his real life son Gautham, can be
considered innovative and out-of-the-box.
Sharing
his thoughts on climax of the psychological thriller, director Sukumar says,
"Mahesh is a performer and can emote any expression for a scene. Since he's a
director's actor and always has his focus on the script and
characterisation, it was a cakewalk for him."
CONVINCING
ACTORS
It's not easy to convince star actors to have an emotional
climax for a film. The climax of
Prabhas-starrer Mirchi came as a bit of a surprise. In fact, it's a rarity for
first time directors to have the final 30-odd minutes filled with emotions.
Debutante director Koratala Siva not only penned a family drama, but the twist
at the end took the audience by surprise.
"We know
the climax would be one of the highpoints of the film. Prabhas was fully
convinced with the script and was all geared up for it. He was very charged up
for the scene and delivered a stellar performance in the end," said director
Koratala Siva.
Director
Sukumar says that Mahesh Babu okayed the film only because of the
unpredictable ending. "It was easy to convince Mahesh Babu about the
climax scene. In fact, he okayed the film only after listening to it. He was
very excited and was looking forward to shooting those scenes," says Sukumar.
Similarly,
the high-point of the Nithiin-starrer Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde was an amalgam
of some humour, situational comedy, smart writing, and good performances on part
of its actors. The scene where Nithiin realises and feels guilty for his faults,
and goes back to Nithya Menen to forgive her, was highly emotional.
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