The first thing that strikes you about actor Rakshit Shetty is how fast he speaks. Words tumble out of his mouth in a speed that hopes to match his eternally pacing, impatient thoughts. Leaning forward in his chair, discernibly summoning all his energies to focus on the conversation we were having, the consistent impression he gave out was that there is a lot to do and there’s such little time. Well, if one takes a look at the kind of ideas, plans and projects Rakshit is preoccupied with, it all makes sense.
His seventh film, Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu , is being touted as a success, one that has managed to cut across all sections of the audience and impress them; he has not just acted in the film, but has also penned lyrics for a song in the film and is receiving accolades for it; he is writing the script for his upcoming directorial venture, Thugs of Malgudi ; he has just registered his production house, Paramvah Productions and will produce and act in its first film, Kirik Party . That’s not all. He has big plans for distribution and screening of films in the State, wants to nurture a group of script writers and wants to earn enough to be able to produce good films.
And after all of this, he still calls himself a reluctant multitasker! Excerpts from an interview:
When a film is offered to you, who decides whether you should do it? The actor or the director in you?
I think the director in me does everything. Apart from making the decision about whether or not to do the film, it is the director in me that also decides if what I’m doing is good or bad.
With GBSM , while I was impressed with the script, the cut that Hemanth Rao showed me gave me a sense of his vision, skills, the music, cinematography skills of his team etc. and that convinced me immediately.
As far as the lyricist in me is concerned, I never knew I could write lyrics until I wrote for Ulidavaru Kandanthe . For Ee Sanjege, I took two weeks to write one line, months to finish the first stanza. Hemanth loved what I wrote but he never came back for more because of the time I took to write one. (laughs) So I think like a director all the time, making decisions based on what I would like in my film.
Has it ever occurred to you that the actor could overshadow the director in you?
I came into the industry to be an actor. My interest in direction is because of my passion for storytelling. There are some stories that are waiting to be told. The kind of appreciation you get when you’re directing a film is very different from what you get when you act. As the director, you are the captain of the ship!
I take my time with the films I direct and write. I don’t believe in making films every year. I wait for the visuals to develop in my head, delve into the details, read continuously etc. In the interim, I take up acting. My belief is that the more time I give to the script I plan to direct, the more mature it will get.
So this balance between acting and direction works for me.
Were there any apprehensions about entering such a high-risk industry, that too after a successful academic stint as an engineering student and professional?
I don’t know what it was then. I sensed a revolution in the making in the industry and felt I could be a part of it. It was impulsive to a large extent too.
To add to this, right from a young age, I was fascinated by the medium of cinema. Engineering had to happen though. That’s what my parents wanted. There was no other option.
And when you decided to enter the film industry, there was no opposition from them?
So, during campus selection, I was placed at a firm in Bombay. I lied at home saying I never got placed. I came to Bangalore and began searching for jobs. Simultaneously, I also tried my hand at theatre. I got a job as a tester in a firm. I used to work for three hours and during the remaining part of the day, I’d browse on Orkut to contact people in the industry.
For those three hours I put in everyday, I even got the title of ‘Employee of the Year’!
Then I started doing short films because I wanted to cast myself as an actor in those films. I thought then, that if nobody casts me in a feature film, I’ll direct and cast myself and somehow find a producer…That’s how I wrote Ulidavaru Kandante . Luckily, Simpallag Innondh Love Story worked out.
This was a gamble that could have gone horribly wrong too...
Like I said, I just wanted to be a part of the revolution, which I think began in some ways, with Lucia . There is an audience in Kannada for good films but I realised that they seemed to have stopped coming to the theatres. I wanted to get people like me back to the theatre.
I’m not trained at a film school. But I believe more than training, one should have a good taste in films. Today, reading, watching and learning is possible sitting anywhere in the world.
Were there takers for Ulidavaru Kandanthe in the industry?
From my own team, there were people who didn't believe in what I was doing. They put their trust in me because Simpallag… had worked out. They didn’t know what film I was making until I made it. And when they finally saw it, they were shocked. ‘What the hell have you made? Is this cinema?’ they asked.
They were used to a certain kind of films. But I was adamant. I feel even though Ulidavaru... didn’t do as well, it has sort of set the stage for other new generation films.
You are also stepping into production...
I’ve experienced a lot of problems in the past. One can never be sure that one will get a good producer. And during Ricky , especially, we went through a lot of problems because of ego clashes etc. The idea is if you have a banner and you are confident about a subject for a film, then why not? Further, if I can make some money through this, then I can produce films for others.
What do you think the Kannada industry needs desperately at the moment?
We need writers. Every director wants to write and direct here which need not be the case. Even Mani Ratnam does not do that.
We need a writers group. We’re trying to do that at Paramvah Studios. We will pay these writers their monthly salaries, commensurate to the amount they might probably get if they were in an IT job. When we can spend Rs.5 lakhs in trying to get story rights from abroad and other industries, then why can’t we instead give the money to our own writers? We also need more multiplex screens. We’re talking to investors. The idea is to build ‘ middle class multiplexes’ especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, with 400-seating and affordable rates. We need to think beyond Bangalore and make plans for the entire State.
