First day, first show

It''s a big moment for debutant director PL Indrajit whose movie `Thuntata'' has just opened at theatres in Bangalore, Mysore, Davangere, Chitradurga and Tumkur.
If he had even an inkling about how it would be received he wouldn''t have made that anxious trip to the cinema hall at 8 am on the day of the release.
Talking about pre-release nerves, Indrajit says, "Even when shooting for my film I was not as nervous as I was on the day of its release." He sat with the audience to see how it went down."I was happy with their response," he says.
It''s a movie for the young-at-heart, says Indrajit. "I received a call from a seven-year-old child who said she loved the song `Yavudo''."
Critics feel `Thuntata'' can set a new trend, coming as it does at a time when the local film industry has been concentrating on remakes. This trendsetter movie was, however, made against all odds, according to Indrajit. It was his first attempt at directing and none of his cast had big hits behind them when they signed for the film.
"But I had the confidence and knew my actors were talented," says Indrajit, who also paid a lot of attention to the marketing strategy for his project. "I have sold the film without trial shows. Only directors like Ram Gopal Varma and Subhash Ghai do that."
To release a film without commercial marketing is definitely an achievement, he says.
Besides having three offers on hand, of which Indrajit will start work on one after a short break, he has sold his film to an overseas distributor. "The amount I have received from there is not much, but I am happy that it will open new avenues," says this young director.