The story of a young boy
It's their love for theatre and the eagerness to take it to all classes of people that inspired Kannada theatre directors Naresha and Vishnu Kumar to make a 21-minute Kannada film on children, titled Aagadavaru.
What comes through and through in the film is their vast travel experience. The duo has travelled far and wide across the State and the country too. They have skillfully woven the real stories and experiences they encountered on their journey in the film.
Aagadavaru symbolically traces interconnected events that occur in the life of a young boy in rural Karnataka.
Based on Kannada writer Basavannappa Kambhar's fictional story Masipennu, the film is a subtly played out social drama, which takes up the cause of the oppressed in society.
"Except for one or two, none of the actors are popular faces.
We've chosen ordinary people because we wanted the audience to connect with the characters. We've tried to explore the issue of oppression and the struggles through the story of a young ten-year-old boy Balesha who values a pen which he gets as a prize.
The pen represents freedom," explains Naresha.
Balesha lives with his grandmother in a dilapidated hut. Set in the hinterland of Bijapur district, the story captures the boy's experiences as he aspires for the ultimate prize in his mind — an ink-pen which he got after winning the elocution competition.
His grandmother's illness keeps him away on the day of the prize-distribution, and the prize is given away to the village landlord's son by default. Balesha's dreams are shattered but he's determined to get the pen back as it rightfully belongs to him.
"When he wins the pen and it is given away to somebody else, the boy feels cheated. The pen is a symbol of recognition and is a stepping stone to something higher. But it is the boy's determination that comes through in the story. The social disparities are portrayed in the film," says Vishnu.
The story not only brings forth the issue of oppression but tries to understand the mindset of children in the villages who grow up with the grandparents because their parents migrate to the cities for work.
"The sentiment and emotion of a child is different when he or she grows up with grandparents. Today, we notice that parents don't seem to have enough time to spend with their children owing to work pressure. This is where grandparents play an important role and fill in," explains Naresha.
Naresha hopes to collaborate with NGOs to take the film across to several schools and colleges in the City.
Nina C George
'The promo of the film will speak for itself'
Joining the bandwagon of Kannada films with Hindi titles is Somanath Patil's Dil Ka Raja. But the first-time director insists that his title is not a Hindi one. "Dil is a universal word and 'Raja' is the name of the lead character. So, I would really beg to differ that this movie has a Hindi title," he explains. The movie is a love story and for the first time, it stars Prajwal Devraj and Ramya in the lead.
While Prajwal plays the role of a poor boy, who is spontaneous and carefree, Ramya essays the character of a rich, bubbly girl, who falls in love with Prajwal.
"This is the first time that both these actors are coming together for a film. The story requires actors who can perform. Both of them suited the characters really well and I knew they could pull it off. When I approached them and told them the story, they were more than willing to be a part of the project," says Somanath.
The movie, he says, is not just a romantic one but also has a valuable message in the end. But not much is being said about it.
Ask Somanath why this is so and he says, "We have all kept quiet because I want the promo of the film to speak for it. We are going to release the promo soon and it is going to be really different. Trust me, one will get even more curious about the movie after seeing it."
Another highlight of the film is the cameraman, Senthil Kumar, who is known for his cinematography in Telugu movies like Arundhathi, Magadheera and Chatrapathi.
"This is the first time Senthil Kumar is doing the cinematography of a Kannada film. We are really glad to have him on board with us," says Somanath, who will start the final schedule of the film in October.
Having shot in Bangalore, the team will soon move on to Sakaleshpur, Mysore and Tumkur. Dil Ka Raja is scheduled to release in December.
Megha Shenoy
Shivanna behind the mic
Century Star' Shivarajkumar is all set to croon for his upcoming movie Lakshmi.
The actor recently recorded the song, which is composed by Guru
Kiran.
This is a dream song and will be picturised on Shivarajkumar and the lead actress Priyamani.
"After a long time, Shivanna will be singing a song and he too is equally excited about it," says the director Raghava Loki.
While the talkie portions of the movie have been completed, only some of the picturisation of the songs is remaining, adds the director.
The film is based on terrorism and Raghava says that the project has been a long-time dream of his.
"Subjects like terrorism, corruption and black money have to be told to people but as a film-maker, I have to see that my audience doesn't get bored. Hence, we came out with a script that is packed with many commercial elements as well," says Raghava, who had earlier directed Shivarajkumar in 'Satya is in Love'.