Yuvraj never set out to become an actor. He always loved the stage and engaged with it through plays in school, college and during his stint as a software professional until a picture that he had posted on Facebook changed his destiny.
His picture on the social networking site was spotted and picked up by Kannada producer Vishwa Cariappa, the producer of ‘Auto Raja’. He wasted no time in calling Yuvraj for an audition for his latest venture ‘Astitva’. “My only experience in acting was on the stage. So when I was called for the audition, for a role in ‘Astitva’, I was taken aback but I still went ahead and gave the audition. A few days later, I got a call from the producer saying that I had been chosen to play the lead. For a second, I froze from sheer disbelief,” Yuvraj recollects.
The shooting for the project is underway and Yuvraj says he couldn’t have asked for a better debut. “There are three shades to my character — one as a poor guy, the other as a rich man and the third part is still kept under wraps because this last one plays a decisive role in changing the course of the story,” explains Yuvraj.
He likes to call the script the hero of the story rather than talk about his role. “I am not allowed to give away too much about the story but the way it unfolds is interesting,” he states.
“It traces the life of a young man and how he overcomes many a hurdle to emerge strong and fulfill his dream of leading a life free of poverty, hunger and deprivation. It’s an honest story and I am sure a lot of people will relate to it,” says Yuvraj.
He also states that the movie does not require the hero to reel out a lot of dialogues. “There are very few dialogues for me because importance is given to the contrasting emotions.” Yuvraj says he thoroughly enjoyed his first venture not only because the script was interesting and gave him a lot of scope for performance but also because the technicians and the director Nuthan Umesh did well to guide him through his first project.
Yuvraj points out that he had to attend a few workshops in acting and read up about the character. “I attended a few workshops to understand the difference between acting in theatre and on the big screen. It was during those sessions that I realised that the two are very different,” he states. He also says that he had to lose 10 kilos for his role. “Toning up was an important part of adapting to the role.” The trailer of the film has been released and Yuvraj says he was thrilled to see himself on the big screen. “I never set out to be an actor but now I feel humbled when I see myself on the silver screen and the hard work that has gone into making that happen,” he says.
