Since January, as many as five Kannada films have hit the screens every Friday. Add to this another 10 plus films of various other languages that compete for space at cinema halls, and one only begins to understand that the biggest struggle for Kannada filmmakers at this point is to retain their movies in theatres for over a week. The team of Unlock Raghava, a Kannada film that is set to hit the screens this week, tells us that it is the confidence in craft of filmmaking and the film’s content that holds them in good stead. Excerpts:
There is a hero in every home today: Manjunatha DManjunatha D, the producer of Unlock Raghava, tells us that there is a lot to take into consideration before making a movie. “Social media’s influence is such that today, there is a hero or heroine in every home. As a filmmaker, I constantly ponder over what I can offer to those people so that they come to watch my movie in a theatre. And for that, I need to deliver entertaining content. As a producer, I feel there are two steps to filmmaking, the first is to make a film and the second is to release it in theaters. Today, the problem is that a lot of people only think about the first step and stumble on step two,” he says.
“Also, back in the day, theatre was our only source of entertainment and going to watch a film on the big screen was a luxury in itself. Single-screen theatres gave Kannada films a lot of prominence. They had four shows and people could pick a convenient time to watch it. Now, with multiplexes having only one or two shows, especially for a newbie’s film, a film needs the capability to survive. Today, a film’s shelf life is just three days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If it can’t sustain for these three days, that is the end of that film’s journey,” he adds.
It is a blessing to have a theatrical release, today: Rachel DavidRachel David, who plays the role of an archaeologist in the film says that shooting for a movie is the easiest part. “Getting to see yourself on the big screen is a big deal today,” she says. As an actor, Rachel believes that upskilling is what matters, not just being active on social media. “Posting pictures from a photo shoot will not fuel my existence as an actor in the industry. When I had free time, I joined acting school again. When you get some time to rest, we should make the most of it. And upskilling may come in handy sometime in the future,” she explains.
As for choosing roles, she says, “I want to look differently in each film because that is the only way I feel like I belong to that character. It is also important to have actors who complement you,” she adds.