Autodrivers steal the show

In a first of its kind, auto drivers have crowd funded a film. MURALIDHARA KHAJANE recalls this unique project alongside Shyam Benegal’s trend setting ventures Manthan and Susman

October 27, 2016 01:29 pm | Updated December 02, 2016 12:01 pm IST - Bengaluru

Creating history  Hoping to raise Rs. 2 crore for the film

Creating history Hoping to raise Rs. 2 crore for the film

Just like the way Sandalwood is witnessing a ‘creative change’, the way a film is made is also going through a transformation. Independent filmmakers are now finding their own creative ways to realise their dreams. A great leap in technology has liberated films from traditional producers and has created confidence that they can make films through crowd funding. The success of Lucia by Pawan Kumar wrote a preface of sorts for these kinds of endeavours. Many filmmakers are exploring the possibilities of crowd funding now.

Kannada film industry should be grateful to Pawan Kumar for exploring the possibility of crowd funding. Enthused by the success of the experiment, now over 400 auto drivers have come together to produce a film in Karnataka. Each auto driver has invested Rs. 1000 for RGV, a film directed by A.R. Shan (son of veteran filmmaker A.R. Babu). According to ‘Auto’ Nagaraj- the brain behind this crowd funding venture, it is for the first time in the history of Indian cinema that auto drivers have joined hands to fund a film.

Though auto drivers coming together to produce a movie might be the first attempt in Indian cinema, it was proved long ago that a co-operative effort can help to bring films closer to the masses. Shyam Benegal dramatised the early struggle to set up the successful milk co-operative at Anand in Gujarat in Manthan. It was a co-operative movie project envisioned by both Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution in India and Shyam Benegal. Later, Benegal focussed on the continuing predicament of India’s ten million handloom weavers in Susman . Jnanapith award winner and playwright Girish Karnad, who essayed the role of the protagonist in Manthan, recently spoke about the need for such projects in his lecture delivered at the 26th Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Memorial Lecture.

According to film historians, crowd funding as a concept was pioneered by Shyam Benegal in 1976. Some five lakh dairy farmers of Gujarat contributed Rs.2 each to raise the capital for Manthan and then arrived in truckloads at cinema halls to watch the film and made it an instant success. For Susman too, different handloom co-operative unions from across the country joined hands.

Auto Nagaraj , who took this particular initiative came to Bengaluru 14 years ago with a dream of becoming an actor. Though he could not attain stardom, so far, he has acted in over 25 films and proved his mettle in small but significant roles. He is an ardent filmgoer and claims to have developed the “capacity to evaluate a film and its commercial success”. RGV is, in a way, a dream come true for Nagaraj, a huge fan of the late actor, Shankar Nag. “I have been an auto driver for the past 15 years. I wanted to become an actor and over the years I have developed contacts with many film personalities. Many producers and directors discuss their story with me as auto drivers are the first ones to watch Kannada films and help in word of mouth publicity,” says Nagaraj.

He has a reason to rope in fellow auto-drivers as ‘producers’: “I was coming across realtors becoming film producers, software engineers getting into films etc. One day I thought why not auto drivers.”

“I know Shan from the past five years. One day, he narrated the story of RGV and confessed to me that he is searching for a producer. I told him that since auto drivers were generally the first critics of a Kannada film, they will produce the movie and I will take the lead. He was elated and decided to make the film with the support of the auto-drivers co-operative. I was living in a leased accommodation at that time. I opted for a rented accommodation and invested Rs. 4-lakh lease amount as the seed money”.

Initially Nagaraj convinced over 430 auto-drivers who are close to him to invest Rs.1000 each for the project. “So far, we have raised over Rs. 45 lakh. By the time we finish, we will have nearly a thousand auto drivers on board. I am planning to tour the entire State to convince my friends to invest in the film, which will make a history of sorts in Kannada cinema,” says Nagaraj, beaming a childish smile. “The credits will have names of all the auto drivers who have invested money and the numbers of their vehicles,” he adds.

RGV is the debut venture of Shan, who has worked as an associate director for over eight films. “Auto drivers are among the most professional producers I have seen. With script in hand, when I narrated the story to Nagaraj, he said auto drivers would produce the film, I was completely taken aback. It came as a huge surprise for me,” Shan recalled.

The film has Aru Gowda (of Muddu Manase fame) apart from Ramesh Bhat and Sudha Belwadi in the main roles. “But the film is not about an auto driver. It is a dark comedy. Very few people have experimented in this genre. Aru Gowda got the opportunity to essay a different role. You cannot brand RGV as either a mass or a class film. It is not even a clichéd love story. It is a completely different film altogether. Many people may mistake RGV as a film about cult filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. The film is nothing to do about him,”clarifies Shan.

Over 60 per cent of the film’s shooting is over. “We have shot the film in Mysuru, Bengaluru and Kushal Nagar. If budget supports, we may visit Sri Lanka for some part of shoot,” he says refusing to brand the film as ‘small budget or a film made on a shoe string budget”. By the time the film is completed, producers and directors are hoping to raise around Rs. 2-crore for the project.

However, neither Shan nor the producers have compromised with the quality of the film in any manner. They have roped in the best professionals in the field. Koushik Harsha has scored music, Guru Prashanth Rai holding camera, V. Nagendra Prasad wrote lyrics and K.M. Prakash is editing the film. “It will be as good as any commercial film,” asserts Shan.

In the same breath Nagaraj adds: “We are using autos to ferry properties and lights. Even some of the artistes are using autos to reach the shooting spot. Technicians are co-operating like never before and are working extra time, as it is a film made by auto drivers.” Sudha Belwadi, the lead actor in the film is not taking even a single rupee. “When I told her about our ‘auto-experiment’, she was surprised and said she would act without any fee. This is the kind of cooperation we are getting from the film fraternity. Now we have a huge responsibility in living up to the faith that auto drivers have reposed in us,” Nagaraj says with gratitude.

The producers and director are planning to release RGV by Sankranthi.

Like the technicians, exhibitors and distributors are lending their helping hand too.

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