Chandrajith Beliappa on ‘Ibbani Tabida Ilyali’: I wanted to create a visceral experience

Vihan Gowda and Ankita Amar in ‘Ibbani Tabida Ilyali’. | Photo credit: Special Arrangements

Chandrajith Beliappa is a firm believer in the magic of cinema. He saw it unfold when he made his directorial debut, Ibbani Tabida Iliyali, Survived a tough box office battle. After a quiet start, with minimal buzz in the first few days, the film looked to take an early exit from the theatres. But the relationship drama, which released on September 5, has slowly found its feet thanks to strong word of mouth.

In 2015, Chandrajit experienced a similar change in fortune. Working as a software engineer, he sent a link to a story published on his blog to actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty. The story ‘Dew Drop, Sun and Blade of Grass’ convinced Rakshit to join Chandrajith in his writing team.

Ibbani Tabida Iliyali, Produced by Rakshit’s Paramavah Studios, Chandrajith’s cinematic version of that story. Starring newcomer Bihan Gowda, Ankita Amar and Mayuri Nataraja, the movie shows the fragility of relationships and people’s inability to let go of their past. Released on Ganesh Chaturthi weekend, the film struggled for screens against a strong cinema Greatest ever/Goat, Starring Vijay.

“We were very clear that we would start with fewer screens; It’s all about supply and demand. If I plan to go to 200 shows on the first day, will my film attract that many people in the first week? I don’t think so. So we went with only 40 screens. But thanks to the response of the first set of viewers, it got a strong word of mouth and increased show numbers. In those limited screens, the film reached cinephiles who wrote about it on social media,” explained Chandrajith.

Chandrajith Beliappa. | Photo credit: Parambah Studio/Facebook

The story, which takes place in multiple timelines, has a college episode. In these pieces, cinematographer Srivathsan Selvarajan fills the frames with vibrant colors.

“I wanted the episode to look like a 90s Bollywood movie. When you think about your college life, it will not be completely realistic in your memory. It will have some texture in the movies you watch. Like Karan Johar’s film Kuch kuch hota hai, Colors are used to celebrate college life. I deliberately avoided a special treatment of those scenes,” says Chandrajith.

Urban love stories are rare in the Kannada film industry Ibbani Tabida Iliyali Chandrajith grew up seeing a significant addition to the genre.

“I loved Mani Ratnam Alaipautheya, And I’m a big fan Varanam Ayiram And Binnaithandi Bharubhaya. In Kannada, I love Yogaraj Bhatt’s romantic drama Mungaru male And Paramathma. The style of dialogue between couples was fresh in those movies and it influenced me a lot,” he offers.

Chandrajit’s film has a strong voice-over presence. A poet himself, he uses poetry as a narrative tool throughout the film. “I was amazed Forrest Gump And The hero’s voice-over worked brilliantly in that movie. I think this type of narrative has a strong impact on the audience. In addition to forrest gump, Korean movies Classic and Daisy Shaped my film grammar,” he says.

An avid reader in childhood, O Henrys last page, A collection of short stories, inspired Chandrajith to write stories. Ranveer Singh-Sonakshi Sinha starrer robbers (2013) draws inspiration from last page, And Chandrajit Vikramaditya is a huge fan of Motwane movies.

Vihan Gowda and Mayuri Nataraja in the film. | Photo credit: Paramvah Srudios/YouTube

“I see robbers Once every year,” he says excitedly. “It is very close to my heart. Its soundscape Ibbani And a hat tip to the way nature is portrayed in the film robbers.”

A terminal illness is a conflict often used in movies. Chandrajith stuck with it as it struck him organically while scripting the movie. “Sure, just like the movie Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Walk to Remember and The Notebook. However, The idea popped into my head naturally, and I didn’t want to dismiss it because people might call it a death-to-death trope. A veteran actor from the film industry criticized the film, saying it has become a trend to treat cancer lightly in films. However, a cancer survivor, who is also a cancer fighter, wrote a beautiful post about my movie on social media. I’m happy to see the positive side of it,” he explains.

Family audiences are appreciating the film, which is structured as chapters. “I wanted to give people the feeling of being read a bedtime story. I think I did it. I wanted to create a visceral experience for the audience,” he signs off.