“Without research, your story will likely be one-sided,” says Lee.
He takes detailed notes on 5×7 index cards. He places the index cards in a box, and when the box is full, he is ready to start writing the story. This paper-based approach allows Lee to shuffle the index cards in a different order as much as needed to convey his vision of the story in the movie script. Lee contends that doing the research makes your story relatable and enables you to weave your message more effectively.
In the late 60s, veteran director Bapu made his first feature film “Sakshi” (A witness). It deals with a simpleton who is goaded by the villagers to become a court witness to a murder and later leave him to his fate. One of the first Telugu films to completely shot in outdoor, the film went on to receive lot of critical acclaim. Bapu in his illustrious career revisited the village lore, with films like ‘Manavuri pandavulu’ and ‘Muthyala muggu’, sticking to the nativity and situations related to the interior Andhra, particularly the coastal belt (Konaseema in telugu).
UMUR is one such tale that is completely set in a town around a hill station and refreshes memories of old classics while presenting the new technique of storytelling and characterization. It deals with a protagonist who is a small photo studio owner. He has never had an altercation with anyone, let alone get into a fight, and is beaten to pulp in public. His determination to avenge it and how he goes about forms the crux of the film. While this is the main theme, it’s also a coming-of-age sorts of a not so young protagonist. Plus, he finds his true love (yet again) and the real emotion behind his craft.
The first half gets a dragged a bit but the movie picks up pace from the inciting incident. Overall UMUR is a nice little film told in an endearing manner making it a decent watch in our homes.
When you’re writing, you’re trying to find out something which you don’t know. The whole language of writing for me is finding out what you don’t want to know, what you don’t want to find out. But something forces you to anyway.
