Kiss and tell

AP Arjun has just five films to his credit in his 10-year-old career as a director. Nevertheless, he is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the Kannada film industry for his versatility as a director as well as his prowess as a writer and lyricist. After the resounding success of his first two films — Ambari and Addhuri, he shifted gears with Rhaate, a critically-acclaimed venture followed by a challenging one — Mr Airavata — starring ‘Challenging Star’ Darshan, and now he returns with Kiss. Scheduled to release on September 27, the film title is apparently a play on the acronym popular among the youth, ‘KISS for Keep It Short & Sweet.’

The filmmaker, who also turned producer for this one, shares all about his tryst with this kiss. “When I started off with the project with the title Kiss, many wondered if it was going to be a bold subject with objectionable elements. However, it is nothing of that sort, as it is a new-age romance, which an entire family can sit and watch together.”

Arjun explains that when he was looking out for a another suitable subject, he was amazed to find out how the present generation falls in love. “Kiss celebrates love while it highlights crucial aspects in a relationship of today, which I wanted the audience to experience. It all happens in a jiffy. It is very instant over a simple exchange of messages or connecting with each other through various social media on smartphones. Even break-ups are celebrated unlike the past, wherein winning a girl’s heart was a task by itself,” he smiles, adding that the time taken from the first sight of the loved one to expressing love in words used to take years together and a few have even lived all their lives without saying a word to the object of their affections. While its name may reference the short and sweet, the making of the film took all of three years!

Apart from directing and producing Kiss, Arjun has also penned songs for which Harikrishna and his son Aadi have composed music. The film also introduces two new talents — Viraat and Sreeleela. While Viraat, has made his mark with the popular tele-serial Jothe Jotheyali, Sreeleela, is fresh out of college. After Kiss, she will be seen in Srii Murali’s next — Bharaate, which is also set to release in the coming days. Sharing his debut experience, Viraat reveals that he became a huge fan of Arjun after watching Addhuri. “I wanted to meet Arjun on several occasions after Addhuri, but it never happened. But his mother, who knew me from my tele-serial, helped me reach him and thus Kiss finally happened, after my doing 30-plus plays in theatre and a TV serial!” he laughs.