Even though Richie, the popular character he played in his ambitious project Ulidavaru Kandanthe missed its target at the box office, Rakshit Shetty emerged as a clear winner, and won a state award as best debut director. The versatile actor, director is set to go back in time, to celebrate one of his most cherished memories — his college days by unravelling the Kirik Party on the silver screen. He speaks to Bengaluru Chronicle about his Kirik journey, new makeover and much more.
This (Kirik Party) one is very special. I had written this even before Simple Aag Ondh Love Story. After my debut venture Tughlaq failed, I was sure I might not be cast as a hero again, and hence decided to pen down my most cherished days in engineering college. I had written it with me in mind as actor, director but the ‘simple’ project took off and fortunately, it was a hit and Kirik Party was kept on hold until we decided to produce it with a moderate budget,” says Rakshit Shetty.
He shares that time was running out for him to play the role of a student, which was why he got the party going. “I had written it to direct myself, but after Ulidavaru Kandanthe, I took a different path and my taste for directing also changed. When talking about films that I had kept ready, many of which might probably not see the light of day, it was Rishab Shetty who showed interest, and we made a few changes to keep it pertinent to present day,” he adds.
He reveals that he was always naughty, even as a child and is known for his pranks, which continued during engineering, especially at the hostel. “I was very naughty as a kid and during college. I was also good at academics and this helped me get in the good books of my lecturers (not always though). There are instances, where I was given a strict warning for my pranks and even my parents were called by the principal! They were indeed my best days and I would certainly love to go back in time,” he laughs.
However, he feels lucky that he chose a profession which is very close to his heart, and still has fun with it. “I had dreamt of getting into films but I rarely shared this with anyone. I guess I only spoke about it with friends who too could not believe it. Though films comes with a lot of responsibilities and expectations, I am never behind schedule as I love my work. I had no one to back me up in the industry when I started, and now I am realising my dreams. I will kick-start my next directorial soon. So far I have signed a project which is yet to be titled,” he says.
In Kirik Party, Rakshit plays a student in two different timelines, one in first year, and the latter, in final year. “The first year was fun, as it required me to be a prankster, a fun loving student. As a senior student, I had to be serious but the challenges on screen were really good. Even the two girls who make their debut — Rashmika Mandanna and Samyukta Hegde, are as good as any experienced actor. We particularly chose new faces as we wanted the audience to relate to the characters, and not an established face.”
Before the party is over, Rakshit reveals how he got his new look: “After the Ricky character, the audience were so hooked to it that I maintained it for a while. But for Kirik Party, I had something else on my mind. After nothing worked, I happened to realise that my little nephew, who looks similar to me, had a cute hair style and thus I got my hair stylist to work on it.”
