Most of us, who watch Kannada films will be familiar with Avinash, the actor who plays strong character roles in almost every film. Having acted in over 200 films, Avinash is comfortable playing the father, brother, mean son-in-law or even the sly villain.
Avinash, who has pocketed many awards for his acting skills, including the Karanataka State Award, Film Fare Award and Rajyotsava Award, to name a few, makes time to speak to Metroplus .
Having been in the industry for over two decades, you would think Avinash would have tired from this profession, but, no. He is still as passionate about acting as he was when he entered the industry with 27 Mavalli Circle . This was followed by many more films like Tarka, Sangya Balya, Mathadana, Chinnari Muttha, along with commercial hits like Hrudaya Hrudaya and Apthamithra among others .
Now he looks forward to two big budget films — Kurukshetra and Home Minister , where he “plays small but significant roles’.
In Kurukshetra , a multi-starrer, he plays Gandhara Raja, Shakuni’s father. “He is the man responsible for Kurukshetra. Shakuni promises his father that he will destroy the Kauravas.”
In Home Minister , he plays Upendra’s father, who “appreciates everyone’s talent but is critical about his own wife’s talents as a singer”. Sudha Belwadi plays his wife in the film.
Avinash is currently busy shooting for Rangamandira and Pailwan and looks forward to the release of Odeya with Darshan in the lead. “It is a remake of the Tamil film Veeram”, in which Avinash acts. Remakes, he says, may not give you the same creative thrill, but you definitely avoid repeating the mistakes you made in the first attempt, he laughs.
Orange , with Ganesh, which is in the dubbing stage, is also lined up for release. “It has an interesting script and actors such as Sadhu Kokila and Rangayana Raghu.” Orange is also said to be the first Kannada film to be acquired by Amazon Prime before its release.
There seems to be no stopping the multi-talented Avinash, who started off as a literature student, took to theatre and progressed to films. Over the years, he has proved that he is also open to acting with new filmmakers too.
“The search for doing something new makes me work with young film makers. Gultoo is one film I cherish. Young directors have a new approach, are intelligent and passionate about cinema. I love to act with youngsters and don’t worry about the money when I see their passion. If I find potential in them, I am game to be a part of their films. That way, I get to move along with the flow. If I don’t, then I feel I am the loser. I feel I have a lot to learn from the new generation filmmakers. If I don’t adapt to their thinking, then I will be outdated,” says the actor.
Being in the industry for years and having worked with almost every director and actor, Avinash observes that he has seen “a sea of change in the industry. Earlier there were content oriented, great films. Today, making films has changed. Technically, we are far superior in executing a story on screen. The industry has grown economically. Look at films such as KGF and Kurukshetra . We are not a small industry any more. If a film from the 70s were to be remade today, it will done radically differently. Every generation goes through a change. The style of acting appreciated in the 70s is no longer wanted. Acting is becoming realistic and melodrama is avoided,” says Avinash.
