Snehith Gowda makes his acting debut as a serial killer in Gone Case . The youngster, who is a non-smoker and a teetotaller, “developed a specific smoking style to give the character an edge.”
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The film, written and directed by Aravind Kaushik, had its teaser launch on July 2.
Snehith, who has been actively involved in theatre in Bengaluru for the past few years, has worked with Arjun Sajnani and Zafar Mohiuddin. He met Aravindwhen he was auditioning for another film. Snehith says he acted in over 100 plays. “I am trained to read, write and speak Urdu and picked up Punjabi too. I believe it is the job of an actor to pick up as many dialects as possible. I was overwhelmed when I was approached to play the serial killer in Gone Case . Normally, debut actors are cast in romantic roles and have to work their way up to get meaty roles and here I was getting it on a platter. I was doubtful of whether I would be able to pull it off. That is when, Aravind and I decided to work on my look. I started growing a beard and my hair.”
Besides looks, Snehith says he also worked on the character’s psyche. “The first thing that struck me was that I am the same age as the character I am portraying in the film. I wanted to understand the philosophy and the psychology of a serial killer. I studied documentaries and books. I had no clue what a serial killer thinks or what it is that drives him to kill. This role is so unlike myself, and it has been a great challenge. Once I was sure of the role, I sat down and wrote out a three-page essay on my character, his psyche and emotional mindset and shared it with Aravind, who was impressed with my homework.”
Snehith also shares that the serial killer that he plays in Gone Case has a strange penchant for films. “It is this passion of his that kick starts him on a new journey and forms the crux of the film,” reveals Snehith.
Gone Case has been in the making for two years, “that happened because of the lockdown. We have squeezed in the shoots in between, when the lockdown was lifted. So I made use of the time I got to build and develop and improvise my performance.”
