Manishi Rodduna Paddaadu by Darina poye daanayya

It finally happened. The industry has at last lived to see the day when the very source and the means of its existence, the producer, wanted to take a plunge into the proverbial and a literal cesspool and end his life. After a spate of incidents that involved farmers committing suicides, unable to handle the pressures of every day life and incapable of coping up with the copious amounts of debts, and the simple interests on them compounding to the already existing miseries, here is a start to a similar script involving pressures, debts and interests, leading to a similar conclusion following a similar fate, in a totally different arena. It wasn't that long ago, when the producer was on the other end of the receiving stick, playing the evil one, troubling, hassling and haggling everyone that he could play around with, withholding payments, reneging promises and shortchanging people. Though nobody has ever seen the meteoric rise of the producer, his fall from the grace and good-books has become quite a public spectacle, winning a little sympathy and a lot of ill-will.

A simple question - why would anyone want to undertake an operation that would involve drawing out meticulous plans, making sure the plans are carried out in the way they were laid out, assemble a team that would help him realize his dreams, make a concerted effort to optimize the output of every individual member of the team, and finally deliver the product that is both personally satisfying and universally accepted and respected? As lofty and as complex as this mission statement sounds, the answer is quite simple - glory of rewards or want of riches, and in some rare cases, both. Now let the question be modified to reflect the real world - why would anyone want to undertake an operation that is born out of pure whim or blinding passion, finding like minded people who share the same insanity, assembling a team that is either popular or available whichever is cheaper, deal with the every second headaches involving delays and egos, and finally deliver a product that he hopes would give him enough seed money to start his next venture and repeat the above all over again? As troublesome as the revamped statement reads, the answer, this time again, is quite simple and very much like the previous reply - claim to fame or route to riches, and in almost all the cases, both.

What does the producer actually do before, during of after the writer comes up with the skeleton, the background technicians add meat to the bone, the actors enhance the likeability factor, the director delivers a movie making a cohesive unit out of all these different elements? Besides the obvious answer that he produces and delivers everything (at least, most of everything) that is needed by the different functioning units within his team into the making of the movie, the producer's job is to manage the show, keeping a cautious eye on what is coming in and what is going out. In effect, he is a gatekeeper, first and foremost. Checks and balances, tallies and differences, credits and debits is his language. How much does it cost, can it be completely avoided, can it be done cheaper, is his sequence of operations. As long as the producer restricts himself to the production side of the game, the focus of his vision becomes clearer and thereby the desired results become achievable. Put money, play smart, make money, put money, play smart... the game could go on uninterrupted, with minimal setbacks, for a longer time. Again, as with everything, real life follows a different script.

What happens when a producer who had a couple of early successes following the earlier roadmap, now goes for the glory and tries to make everything on his own? The successes have shown him how to meddle with scripts, the successes have taught him how to herd the resources and men along his path, the successes have led to him to believe that he can have the cake and eat it too. If history is any indication, great many producers fell into the showmanship trap only to have production houses, productions and eventually their careers ruined. However ruthless and heartless it may sound, for the amount of perspiration, agony and desperation that the producer has to put up with while going through each step in the production, glory and riches are in most cases, mutually exclusive. Either go for the glory and not worry about the riches, a la Usha Kiron, or follow the money and not concern about the glory, a la Suresh. If glory meets money midway or if money finds fame along the way, then icing is all the much the better. All that he needs to do is to get his priorities right and choose the sides. Much before the scripts are written, much before the stories are told and much before the production even commences, toss the coin, O poor producer!

anuvugaani chOTa adhikulamanaraadu
Dabbu peTTitinanna Daabu madi nunDaraadu
keerti kanDooti paerlalO teeruchuKovayaa
viSwadaabhiraama vinave sinee seema

- Daarinapoye Dannayya

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