20 years on, Nagesh Kukunoor thinks of Hyderabad Blues prequel
Seems like a lifetime, seems like only yesterday.” Nagesh Kukunoor recalls the opening lines of his highly acclaimed film Hyderabad Blues, as he reminisces about the 20 years that have passed since the release of the film, which inadvertently jumpstarted the “independent film movement” in India. Now, a prequel is on his mind — if the story fully takes shape.
“It seems like yesterday, but I still can’t believe I’ve survived after 20 years,” Kukunoor says. A romantic comedy about an NRI, Varun, who finds himself caught between two cultures when he returns home, Hyderabad Blues worked with its unique vibe and relatable content.
Kukunoor came up with a sequel in 2004. He says that he made it as he had a relevant and “good enough topic”.
So, now, is this a franchise, and is it destined to be taken further? Kukunoor says, “I’ve thought about it many times, but the journey over my last few films has been extremely varied... From a Lakshmi to a Dhanak, the shift is so drastic that I am not so sure if I have a proper story in me. When I wrote Hyderabad Blues, initially I said I wouldn’t do anything but seven years later, it was a different Varun who was staying in India, so I felt there was something to say. Now I’m not sure what the angle should be.”
Kukunoor began writing Hyderabad Blues 0 to see how Varun’s back story would shape up. “But,” he says, “I haven’t completed the script and I don’t know... I’m also potentially looking at it in a web series format. Let’s see, I don’t know if there’s enough mileage, though.”
FILMMAKER NAGESH KUKUNOOR MIGHT MAKE HYDERABAD BLUES 0 IN THE WEB FORMAT