Excerpts of an interview with Puri Jagannath on his new release ‘Rogue’:
Your new film Rogue looks like a slick actioner about obsessive love. How do you see the film among all the films you've directed in your career?
If you look at my career, almost all films have a unique love stories. ‘Rogue’ is one of its kind love story which is distinct and different suited the present times. I don’t want to reveal the story but I assure you it’s a pure and tender love story. Action sequences are an integral part of the narrative as per the script requirements.
The trailer begins with the line: 'I hate girls' and then proceeds to show him romancing her rather roughly. In one shot he even grabs her behind. Is this a misogynist film?
The protagonist of the film is an intense guy with a romantic heart. Whatever he does, he does with pure passion and intensity. You are saying "romancing roughly" but it is actually an intense romance. As I said above, it’s a different love story. He is not a misogynist. You will know once you watch the film.
Tell me about Ishaan. What made you select a complete newcomer? How confident are you of his stardom?
Ishan is a highly-talented and dedicated artist. Nowhere in the film will you feel he is a newcomer. He is passionate and very motivated. His dedication and hard work, along with his talent, will take him to new heights soon.
Do you think the Telugu film industry needs new talent?
New talent needs to be encouraged in every industry. It’s a continuous process. We are all newcomers at one point of time. It’s like an evolution in the cinema world.
There is more action and stunts in ‘Rogue’ than love. In fact, even the romantic scenes are choreographed like action scenes. Is that deliberate?
As I said before, this is a tender love story but action sequences are part of the story narrative. Even the romantic scenes are intense. Nothing is deliberate. Everything that was incorporated was done as per the story requirements.
You recently sacked your entire team and replaced it with a fresh one. How did that affect your work in ‘Rogue’?
The new team is a wonderful and highly motivated bunch of guys. We had a smooth sailing during the shooting as I narrated the story to the whole team beforehand so that everyone was on the same page.
You are now directing the veteran actor Balakrishna. What kind of project is this?
This is a mass action entertainer catering to all sections of the audience. The script came out very well and I am sure this is going to be a feast for all Balakrishna Sir fans as well as all cinema lovers.
How different is working with a newcomer like Ishaan as compared with Balakrishna or Mahesh Babu?
I never considered Ishan a newcomer. He is very talented and worked like an experienced artist. It was an easy process for me. Moreover, once we have clarity of thought and know exactly what we have to extract from artists, everything falls in place. In addition, I am very open-minded and am always ready to take inputs from my cast and crew.
