Bengaluru: Dayal Padmanabhan is not a new name in the Kannada film industry. The scientist quit the Indian Institute of Science to pursue his passion to make films. But while he makes commercial pot-boilers for survival, he employs the tricks he learns on the job to make small films that fulfil his creative urge.
“I've learnt how not to lose money,” he laughs. His film Actor is in the Kannada Cinema Competition section. The film, which makes a strong case against suicide, did not last long in the competitive multiplex market.
When it was released in 2016, Dayal found that multiplexes weren't willing to screen an experimental film for even a few days till word-of-mouth brought in larger audiences. “In multiplexes, we have to share revenues 50-50 in the first week. The number progressively changes over each week. But in most multiplexes, the fate of an independent film released on Friday is decided by Monday.”
His film of 100 minutes was shot over 100 hours on a budget of ₹47 lakhs. He's now working on the logistics of releasing the film online.
Debutante filmmaker R. Mahantesh from Bidar has been working in the Kannada film industry as an assistant director for over 12 years. But when he wanted to break away and make an independent film, no producer was willing to offer funds. So, he and his wife pooled in their savings to co-produce 6'3" — a dramatic story shot in a 6*3 box with one actor.
“I wanted my first film to have a message, but I wanted it to look new to the Kannada audience. My story is about how we need to deal with child abusers. We've seen too many cases recently of van drivers and school staff abusing children and getting away with it. My films talks about what should be done with them... something that acts as a deterrent...,” he says.
The film was made on a ₹15-lakh budget, with Mahantesh doubling as actor-director. He's yet to release it commercially. But it was screened in the Kannada Cinema Competition Section.
