A 'sweet nightmare'

Arvind and Avinash are the grandsons of the veteran comedian Narasimharaju and together, are all set to come out with a Kannada film Jugaari.

The film will see Arvind as a debutant director and Avinash as the protagonist. Sharing with Metrolife, their experiences during the making of the film and their own personal equation, they say it all in two words — “sweet nightmare”. 

“Cinema is one of the biggest media to reach out to people and I wanted to use it effectively to tell our story. Plus it was a first for me and I needed everything to be just right. Maybe that’s why the first phrase that comes to my mind when I look back is ‘sweet nightmare’,” says Arvind, who has had experience in making documentaries earlier.

Despite being brothers, it was not a cake walk for Avinash to land the lead role. He went for not one, but two auditions.

“Arvind is a total perfectionist. Although I had done a silent movie before, movies were never on the agenda. It was when I heard of the project that I knew I wanted to be a part of it and did my best to convince them that I was ready,” says Avinash.
“In the first audition, we were not at all happy with him. He had to work on the part a lot and then we gave him another chance. That’s when we saw a spark in him and believed that he could really carry it off,” adds Arvind. The film revolves around a boy, who lands in prison at a very young age. In prison, he starts to reform. He begins to realise his priorities in life and tries to create a good impact on society when he comes out.

Though it may not be a total comedy, the film does promise to have subtle humour. What’s really unique in the movie is that while the first half is in a narrative form, the second half will see Avinash in a total stylised manner.

“I have two totally different looks in the film. In the first half, I have a beard and sport an unconventional look, but in the second half, I get to look like a hero,” he explains.
As a team, the brothers are thorough professionals. “Arvind has a different way of looking at situations and that’s what I really like. Every time we come on the set, he knows exactly what he wants and explains it on the spot,” says Avinash.

Off screen, they describe their relationship as that of brothers. “Yes, we have had our share of fights as children but now, we are more like friends and share everything with each other,” says Arvind.

The fact that they have such a well-known grandfather was kept a secret by them for a long time. “We wanted people to see the film and realise that we have his traits. However, the news leaked out and people came to know this,” says Avinash.
 
Now for obvious reasons, there are bound to be expectations and pressure. “While shooting the film, we had to concentrate so we didn’t have time to focus on that aspect. But now that the film is done, we are feeling the pressure,” adds Arvind.