Mojo, a film based on the sixth sense is all geared up for its release. Produced by USA-based entrepreneur Gajanana Bhat and directed by Bengaluru-based filmmaker Shreesha Belakavadi is, will hit the screens this Friday. The film is creating waves because of the international recognition it got recently. Mojo had its world première at FOG (Festival of Globe) International Film Festival at Fremont, USA. Besides that, the film has also been credited for its official selection at four major international film festivals. A “nervous” Shreesha says he is “in a meditative state, trying to balance my expectations since cinema success is always a chance. We are humbled that the international market has respected us with their laurels. We hope our audience will receive us positively too. He speaks to Metroplus about
You are from IT and now into films. What was the trigger?
I was always passionate about filmmaking. In fact, acting was my first interest (which I still love to). When I was 15, I developed this strong interest to direct movies. When I watched the film New Delhi, directed by Joshi from the Malayalam film industry, something within me sparked. I experienced such a strong high, after that there has has been no looking back. I told myself that I would make a film just like that one someday.
But, you ended up in IT...
It happened. I did my engineering and went through 20 years of IT life. While working there, I underwent a Super 8mm Filmmaking workshop in New York and also directed a couple of short films under the platform 5th Dimension Films. Somewhere I had to break the routine and take the risk. Mojo was scripted and shot between 2015 and 2016 and I moved out of IT at the end of 2016.
It is your debut venture. How easy was it to find a producer?
It was the toughest part. It is never easy, specially being a débutante. I was lucky. My good friend Satish Pathak agreed to invest the moment he heard the story. He connected me to his close friend Gajanan Bhat who showed a keen interest to produce Mojo , as he felt the script had something refreshing.
How does it feel when te movie has been internationally acclaimed?
Feels energized. Our hard work has paid off. Thanks to Gajanan and Satish, who invested so much time applying to festivals, because they truly believed in the product.
Mojo has five international credits?
We have been awarded the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ at CICFF (Calcutta International CULT Film Festival), that nearly had 1,000 entries. So that is a proud feel for our team. We also won the ‘Best Regional Film Award’ at FOG International Film Festival. Mojo has since been doing rounds with official selections at Glendale International Film Festival, Golden Gate International Film Festival and Los Angeles International Film Festival.
How do you classify Mojo? Is it a new genre to Kannada cinema?
Entirely new. Our audience wouldn’t have experienced this genre of sixth sense meeting a murder-mystery. The film is branded as a ‘pre-cognitive’ thriller, which means ‘seeing the future’ by way of subconscious power. It is a challenging subject to handle. But we wanted to come with something out-of-the-box.
How did you get drawn to this subject?
I read books on psychology, subconscious powers and occult and enjoy exploring the mysterious. That is the source perhaps. Mojo is a thread that joins all these elements, and yet, attempts to present an entertaining film.
What made you to choose stage artistes for this film?
Given that our team has no god-father or known faces, we had to audition. Lead actors -- Manu and Anoosha -- were chosen purely based on the merit of their audition. So were the supporting cast -- Sandeep Sridhar, Nandan Jonty, Aanya Shetty and Smita Kulkarni.
Special Arrangement
There is lot of buzz about the film’s music. Can you elaborate about it?
SD Arvind, who composed music for Last Bus, is our music director. We all know how famous his ‘Doori’ was (it was the first Kannada song to be relayed on BBC). Arvind has done a remarkable job in Mojo with three numbers — each with a different tempo, emotion and sensation. We also have Rajesh Krishnan, State Award Winner Chintan Vikas, classically trained singer Murali Ramanathan and ZEE TV SaReGaMaPa Champ Ankita Kundu as singers.
You also managed to get the best technicians...
We have the Karnataka State Award winner Ananth Urs, famous for his work in Rangitaranga and Kirik Party on board. Ajaneesh Lokanath has done the background score.
