Although Kannada film director, Guruprasad has many films to his credit, his name is synonymous with Mata and Eddelu Manjunatha . Both these films went on to become blockbusters. Jaggesh plays the lead roles in both the cult films. Guruprasad even won the Karnataka State Film Award for the best screenplay and the Filmfare Award as the best director in 2009 for Eddelu Manjunatha.
Mata dealt with the mutts and Eddelu Manjunatha was about a lazy man. The Guruprasad-Jaggesh duo come together again after 10 years for Ranganayaka. “This will also be an outrageous comedy and will keep you in splits,” the director says with a laugh. Guruprasad has kept himself busy not just directing films, but also doing cameos in films and being a part of reality shows on television.
Now, with the lockdown due to COVID-19, the director has started a comedy series on his FB page — Guruprasad Manjunatha. The series, titled Hastya Vratha will be on till the lockdown ends. On the show, which streams at 9 pm every night, Guruprasad talks to people about films, the virus, safety, God, how to deal with the lockdown, music and more.
“There is a new topic everyday. The idea is to entertain people and make them laugh. Every one is talking about the virus. I would like to bring in some comic relief to people who are bombarded with COVID-19 news.”
Guruprasad says the cinema he covers on the show, is the result of his three-decade long research on cinema. “Normally I share this material in my school, Guruprasad Scriptwriting and Film Direction, but now I felt it will make the show interesting as many of my followers are film buffs.”
Guruprasad is a firm believer in the art of comedy and believes it is his mission to make people laugh. “I don’t like violence on screen as it sends out a wrong message. I feel it is cheap to portray violence on screen as it promotes the philosophy that it is okay to wield a machete. Comedy is difficult but we can make a point using humour.”
Describing his show as a direct interaction with his audience, Guruprasad says, “There is no censorship of any kind.” Being in lockdown is not new to him, the director says. “When I was writing my first film, Mata I was in isolation at home for six months. While working on Eddelu ... I worked alone for almost three months. So sitting at home is not an issue for me. Currently, I am again using this time to work on my new film Ranganayaka , which will take off as soon as things return to normal. The film is also a comedy and will be a treat for Jaggesh’s and my fans.”
The actor-director also believes “it is natural for man to live in harmony with nature. I feel we overstepped the boundaries in the way we travelled and lived. Take the people of Bengaluru itself. We travel for two to three hours to get to work. How unnatural is that? It is a waste of time and energy. How can this be good or even right? I hope now we realise our folly and treat nature with more caution and live more wisely.”
He applauds the government, police and the medical staff for “being out there in the forefront and managing the lockdown.”
