Director Arjun Kumar S’ Kannada film Sankashtakara Ganapathi created quite a stir when it hit screens in 2018. The film was a rom-com about the alien hand syndrome, atopic not dealt with in Kannada cinema before.
Arjun, who quit nursing to make films, now joins hands with Likith Shetty and Rangayana Raghu for his second project, Family Pack . While the team struggled to find producers to back their maiden venture, this time, they are being launched in style with the backing of Puneeth Rajkumar and his wife Ashwini. The team released the film’s poster on June 16 with Likith announcing that PRK Productions will produce Family Pack. Likith will share the screen with Amrutha Iyengar. Excerpts from an interview:
How would you describe Family Pack ?
It is a comedy, a rom-com. After Sankashtakara ..., Arjun and I were working on stories and this fell in place.
How easy or difficult was it to launch Sankashtakara ....?
The idea was born in 2016 when Arjun researched alien hand syndrome. Developing the script took a year. When nothing was working to make the film a reality, my friends stepped in and invested. The process of making the film was smooth, and though we had no one from the industry to support us initially, during the audio launch, we found support in music director Guru Kiran, Puneeth sir and Shivanna. In fact, Sudeep sir even tweeted about our film when he saw our trailer. That experience has taught me that there is no insider or outsider in the Kannada film industry. Only talent matters here. I also believe that support will eventually come to any one who does a good job.
' Family Pack ' has a huge backing now...
After our first film, Arjun and I did get offers,but we had already started working on Family Pack. Though two other production houses agreed to invest in this film, nothing materialised. That was when we decided to approach Puneeth sir who heard the story and liked it. That is how Family Pack became a PRK Production.
How challenging do you think it will be shooting with the given health guidelines of masks, sanitisation and physical distancing?
It may be a little difficult for the artiste as when he/she comes in front of the camera, they cannot wear a mask or protective gear. We might be at greater risk. Eventually, we all need to get used to working under these circumstances.
Do you feel it is the right time to start work or should we have waited a little longer?
That is a debatable point. If I say we should wait, I will not be doing justice to the many workers and technicians who have been hit hard by the lockdown.
