Clad in denim shirt and khakis, Santhosh Kumar could easily be passed off as another ordinary youngster. But he is a star in the making – the new face of tinsel town. If foraying into Kannada film industry was easy if you had ‘connections’ to flaunt, Santhosh would have been there long ago. But being the nephew of Rajkumar’s wife has helped him the least, Santhosh confesses. It was a dream come true when opportunity came knocking at the door in the form of supporting role in the film Sirivanta. “I met distributor Narayan who wanted to produce a movie. He asked me if I wanted to be part of it and I said ‘yes’.”
Hogi baa magale happened thus and Santhosh plays one of the heroes in it. “I play a ‘porki’ in the film which happens to be the name of the character as well. The role was a big challenge for me because the character was different from the person that I am,” he says.
Directed by H Raju, the film is due for release in October. Santhosh, who admires his cousin Shivrajkumar, says his cousins in the film industry had advised him against entering films before completing his studies. It was while working at Hotel Ramanasree after graduating in hotel management that Santhosh started considering acting seriously. After taking up acting classes from Kishore Namit Kapur acting institute in Mumbai, he thought it would be an easy ride for him in the industry. “I have learnt from my experiences that no amount of influence is going to help you in this industry. I had to struggle like any other youngster who dreams of making it big in the tinsel town,” Santhosh says.
When not acting, Santhosh likes to cook. And his butter chicken is very popular among friends and family. Santhosh says there is no dearth of talent in the industry. All that is required for the directors is to think beyond the usual and give them all a chance. As for him, Santhosh prefers to go slow, picking only those roles he thinks are substantial.
