‘Daari’ng to go neo noir

One is a supremely passionate filmmaker whose first film was highly acclaimed and the other is a marvellous actor who impressed audiences with his debut flick. Meet Hemanth Rao and Rishi, the new-age duo in Kannada cinema, who is propelling Sandalwood towards a promising new direction. The pair’s next film Kavaludaari, produced by Puneeth Rajkumar’s PRK Productions, is a neo noir thriller that’s already making waves for its soul-stirring music by Charan Raj. In a candid tete-e-tete with Bengaluru Chronicle, the film’s director Hemanth and actor Rishi talk about treading the unconventional daari (road)…

How did Kavaludaari happen?
Hemanth Rao (HR): I had this idea for a film about two years before my debut Godhi Banna..., but I hadn’t developed it as I felt the need to evolve as a writer.
Initially, it was meant to be a series because that’s how much of storytelling I had in mind. Soon, Puneeth Sir came on board as a producer and he was interested in working with a new-age director. He’s someone who’s very passionate about world cinema and he always wanted to make such films.  I’d loved Rishi in the Operation Alamelamma teaser and also, many years ago when I’d met him at an audition, I’d told him that if he played a cop, he’d do a fabulous job and six years later, here he is — looking really handsome in a police uniform in my film! This is like a karmic connection.

Rishi: Hemanth called me and said that there’s this film he wants me to do — he’d just given me a brief of the introductory scene and I instantly said yes without even asking more about the role. I play a traffic cop who’s at a crossroad in his professional life — I could relate to the psyche of the character. I had to understand the technical aspects of the profession to get into the role.

How was it working with the legendary Anant Nag?
HR: This is the second time I’m working with him, and it was as incredible as the first time. Very rarely does it happen that you’re able to recreate the same sort of chemistry as the previous time. He makes my life as a writer easy — I can write complicated elements and know it will challenge him.
R: The first time I met him, he was extremely warm and I wasn’t intimidated at all — it was like meeting a long-lost friend. When you know your partner is batting well, it means you can go easy!
HR: He makes the work environment comfortable. I’ve hardly seen him angry on set. But you cannot afford to be unprofessional with someone like him — he cannot tolerate fools.
R: Yes, and Hemanth is Sir’s blue-eyed boy!

What kind of films do you both intend to do in the future?
R: I’m already working on a couple of projects — I finished a film with Jacob Verghese and I’m doing Sarvajanakarige Suvarnavakasha and later Raamana Avatara. I’d like to do films like Kavaludaari more often, but we don’t have many such makers.

H: See, we’re here for a limited period of time. We’ve left what we were doing earlier and come here, so what we’re doing now is more important and has to be done with much more conviction — we want to do as much good work, and have fun.

When you look back, did you ever expect that from being engineers, you would end up here?
HR: Not at all. When I wake up and look at myself in the mirror, I think ‘wow, what am I doing in my life!’ Never did I think that I’d have the opportunity to live my dream. I know a lot of people who are more talented than I am, but due to circumstances, they are unable to do what I’m doing. I’m getting to do films — what more can I ask for?
R: I’m extremely grateful. I remember myself in 2009 when I was doing engineering. Films looked like a distant dream. No one in my family circle is connected to cinema — so, I didn’t know how to enter the industry. The kind of work we’re putting in here is a lot.
H: Yes, your personal life gets affected too.
R: Despite that, we’re happy with the work we’re doing — that’s satisfying.

— Kavaludaari hits screens on April 12.