'I do not like to give up easily'

Actor-director M G Srinivas is busy as ever. He, who was  last seen on screen in 'Srinivasa Kalyana' has  been busy with the shoot of  the first part of 'The Birbal Trilogy'. Srinivas took  time off his busy schedule to share with Tini Sara Anien about  how the film is shaping up and his expectations from 2018.

How is the Birbal trilogy progressing?

We started the shoot of  'Finding Vajramuni', the first one of the series, a few months back. Almost 50 percent of the shoot has been completed. The  movie is progressing really well and the cinematography has turned out  better than I expected.

Tell us about 'Finding
Vajramuni'.

The movie gets its name from Vajramuni, one of the finest actors in the Kannada film industry who used to play negative characters. People like me grew up on his films and were intrigued by his performance.  The movie's plot revolves around finding the antagonist. The story is about solving a murder mystery which happened eight years ago.  

You are playing a lawyer in the film. Can you tell us about your role?

I play Mahesh Das (Birbal's real name), a lawyer and I am investigating the  murder mystery. I had to work a lot  to get into the character. I visited the courtroom a lot of times and met many lawyers to help me get into the skin of the character. From understanding the differences between each section  in the IPC to realising why each legal procedure takes the time it does, I learnt about many things.

How close are you to your character?

Mahesh is a witty, intelligent and hardworking person. I am very close to the character as I do not like to give up easily. I try till I succeed.  

Will trilogies work  with today's  movie fans?

Sequels and trilogies will work as long as the central character of the movie leaves a big impact or the  climax of the film leaves the audience wanting more. I am hoping to be able to  excite our film lovers that way.

Can you narrate an interesting incident from the set?

There are so many! We shared many laughs on the sets. Actor Sujay who played a role in 'Srinivasa Kalyana' is a part of this project and is a dear friend. In a particular scene, he had to stab me and he was shivering throughout. We had to  do many retakes and I almost yelled at him. It was too funny.

Another incident was when we had to show a big fish eating small fish (this scene was supposed to have a symbolical meaning). We brought a piranha that had been fed the previous night and put it in the aquarium with some small fish.

The piranha refused to eat the other fish as it wasn't hungry. The wait  seemed endless. We had to finally  shoot the scene the next day.

You are acting in the film and directing it. How challenging has it been?

Honestly speaking, the process is easier than I expected, since I already have experience from 'Srinivasa Kalayana'.

The challenge arises when I have to act in a particular scene and analyse it as the director later. To judge my own performance as the director has been quite interesting.

Any resolutions for 2018?

I want to work harder and in an organised manner. I am going to train  to get six-pack abs! I am hoping the  film will shape smoothly. I have my fingers crossed.