His debut film Niruttara , which released yesterday has garnered a lot of interest, with the fresh-looking template he has brought to Kannada cinema and the people he has on board. Filmmaker Apoorva Kasaravalli is quite a popular name in Karnataka, having directed and acted in TV serials. So expectations from his first feature film are that much higher. Just before the film’s première, he candidly admits that when you have award-winning parents in the film world like Vaishali and Girish Kasaravalli, it is not easy to step out of their shadow. Excerpts from an interview:
Why did your directorial debut take so long?
I don’t know. I never thought of it that way. I started with advertising, did that for a few years, got bored, went to film school in Sydney, did other things as well. Directing serials happened much later. Amma fell ill, so I had to step in. That was not part of the plan. It was supposed to be 200 episodes but went on for 800; we were stuck in it. Had that not happened, my first film would have happened earlier. I guess it is a natural progression.
It is unusual to start with a musical, generally seen as a risk in Indian cinema...
It is not a musical, but yes, music is an important element. It is a drama. There are different elements to it; travel is also important in the film. Just because the film has music and travel, it doesn't become a musical or a road film.
The template of Niruttara is un-Kannada film like. Is that a conscious decision?
When I was growing up, I was exposed to a variety of cinema. Over the years, with my stint in film school, I’ve taken a liking to Asian and European cinema. I like the way they tell their stories and construct their films. Niruttara is how I wanted to do a film, in terms of telling a story, lighting and ambience. It comes from my sensibility, which is very European, or from someone like a Wong Kar-Wai whom I absolutely admire.
Does being the son of Girish Kasaravalli affect the way you are perceived?
When you are the second generation in any field, there is a shadow; there is a burden. And for me, fortunately or unfortunately, it is both a burden and a blessing. Blessing because you are exposed to cinema in a variety of ways, which you would otherwise not have been exposed to.
When your father is so acclaimed, you have this huge shadow looming over you, and anything you do, there is an instant comparison. Your achievement is never yours and neither is your failure. To break away from it is a huge task. It is not going to happen with one or two films; it is going to take time. For me the challenge is double because my mum was equally acclaimed. I move out of one shadow and I am into another (laughs).
What influenced your unusual choice of cast and crew from casting Rahul Bose to having Niladri Kumar as your music director and Resul Pookutty as sound engineer?
I wouldn't call them unusual choices. The story demanded that the music be different. I couldn’t do with conventional cinematic music. I love Niladri Kumar. The sounds and melodies he creates I thought would be apt for this film. Resul was a natural choice.
Much as we say cinema is a visual medium, it is not visual only. You see and hear things, but when you hear things you feel things. So this kind of landscape I had, I wanted that kind of soundscape as well— going from Himachal to Rajasthan to Goa. It was not just elements but about atmosphere. I have always liked to work with people from whom, at the end of the day, I get to learn something from.
They contribute to the overall betterment of the project. Be it these people or Kaviraj, Ramachandra, or Mohan. A director’s job is only half done if he doesn’t have a good set of technicians.
You've acted in your father's film. You've been his assistant director. What kind of filmmaking influences come from him?
There are different ways of looking at it — there is film grammar, aesthetics, and execution. He comes from a different film school. They were more with Asian masters; for me it is more European and contemporary directors. It may be Kim Ki-duk, Wong Kar-Wai, Aki Kaurismaki, Kiarostami, and Christopher Nolan — people who tend to break stereotypes and whom I admire. While for him it was Ray, Fellini, and Antonioni. So the way we approach cinema becomes different. The aesthetics remain the same but the execution becomes different. He wants to tell a story his way; I tell it my way. I want to make it flashier and more melodramatic. He would never do that. The kind of stories I would like to tell, it has to be cathartic. I would want audience to identify with the characters and situations. Whereas his way of telling a story, you view it as a third person. Interpersonal drama is my thing, while for him it is about man versus society.
