Thayi Lokesh is a familiar face in the Kannada theatre circle. Though he has not acted on stage, he is often seen in the auditorium with a camera in hand, trying to capture every moment on stage through his lens.
He is making his directorial debut with the film Color Of Tomato. The film had its first teaser launch last month, and has garnered 10 lakh views on YouTube. The poster, with the mugshot of lead actor Pratap Narayan, was launched recently.
As the name suggests, the film is shot extensively in the famed tomato market in Kolar, where the team are currently filming. The film features B Suresha with Sampath Kumar and Uma YG (of Cinema Bandi fame).
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“The story is written by renowned author Kotiganahalli Ramaiah and will be released under Swati Kumar’s banner, 1 to 100 Dream Movies,” says Lokesh who has written the screenplay. “The title was also suggested by Ramaiah sir. It sounds weird, but we first chose the title and then worked on the story.”
Lokesh, who started off as a still photographer, says photography will remain his first love. “It was this craft that taught me the play of light and colour through the lens.” As a theatre photographer, Lokesh has documented decades of Kannada theatre and plays through his camera. “I worked with Ranganirantara by Shahidhar Adapa, Vijaynagara Bimba, Suresh Anagalli’s Aneka, B Jayahsree’s Spandana and also NSD Bengaluru branch,” says the 38-year-old director, who calls The Hindu photographer, K Murali Kumar, his mentor.
“Directing a film has always been my dream. I studied Drama in MES College and started with still photography.” Soon, he joined the Kannada film industry as an assistant and later as an associate director and has worked with directors such as Sheshadri and done a documentary on the award-winning writer SL Bhyrappa, before deciding to venture out independently.
“We wanted Color Of Tomato to be a small-budget film, with friends pooling in resources and talents. Once we started, we went over budget. That is when 1 to 100 Dream Movies came on board.”
About the film, Lokesh says, “It is romantic thriller with three stories woven together. The stories are not separate themes nor is the film an anthology, but every character is connected in some way. All the characters are stories are set in the tomato market region.”
