Movies were always on my mind: Samarjit Lankesh

The third generation of the Lankesh family is set to foray into cinema with Indrajit Lankesh’s son Samarjit Lankesh gearing up for his debut, a Kannada film to be directed by his father. His excitement is palpable, as this is his first-ever interview, and Samarjit is well prepared. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and have been working towards it consistently.Watching thatha’s (his grandfather P Lanksh) films, my aunts (Kavitha and the late Gauri) who have been so passionate about the arts, and of course, my father who is equally well known, it’s hard to not be influenced by them all. So, yes, movies were always on my mind,” he tells us.

‘Dad and I are friends first’
My dad is my friend first and we discuss everything. I’m glad it translated to that even on the floors. It’s a beautiful coming together of passion, professionalism and personal relationship when we work together.
“With films as my focus, I took the essential route to get there. I opted for theatre in college, went to New York to train at the film academy, assisted Yogaraj Bhat sir on two films, learnt fights from Chethan D’Souza sir and dance from Murali master. And in the interim, lockdown happened and dad and I would watch a lot of films,” smiles Samar, who is all of 22. The debutant has already done workshops with his leading lady Saniya Iyer. “I enjoyed every bit of it and it made me look forward to arriving on the set,” he says.