JOIN US'My journey has been an eventful one'
MG Srinivas is a happy young man. Right from his dance days to being a radio jockey, this artiste was always focussed on entering the Kannada film industry. After two short films and one with actor Upendra, this director cum actor is excited about his latest project
‘Srinivasa Kalyana’, which will see him acting and directing. In a chat with Tini Sara Anien, he talks about his latest project.
A dance choreographer, a radio jockey, a director and now an actor...
My focus was always Sandalwood. I was a dancer for a few years and did some stage performances till 2004. I even had my own troupe and we used to present performances at events. I went for a radio station audition and after this, I became a radio jockey. I was nervous and when I asked my friends, they said I was good at talking and should do it. But I knew that all these different things were directed towards just one end goal — entering the film industry.
How have all these experiences helped?
It has been a great journey. I crossed all kinds of arts to reach where I am. It has helped me to fit in well. As an RJ, we had to edit our own promos and thus, we had to do sound editing, voice dubbing and music mixing. That and my choreography days have added to my experience as a director and an actor.
Your journey so far...
My journey has been an eventful one. I started off with short films where I acted too. I did ‘Rules’, a movie on speed breakers. I wanted to pick up a story with a social element and present it in a satirical way. After this, I went to an acting school called ‘Abhinaya Tharanga’ and made ‘Simply Kailawesome’, a story based on TP Kailasam.
How did ‘Topiwala’ with Upendra happen?
Upendra sir saw ‘Simply Kailawesome’ and he was deeply impressed. He was impressed by the technicalities of the film and the way it was presented. He asked me to direct a film. It was supposed to be a remake of a Malayalam film, but it got shelved.
This is when I told him that we should try working on our own story and we came up with ‘Topiwala’. The story was by him and the team and I just worked on it.
Your experience with Upendra...
It was a phenomenal experience working with him. If someone asks me which film course I attended and at which institute, I always say that it was an expensive one, with one of the best professors (actors) in the acting world.
Tell us about ‘Srinivasa Kalyana’.
This movie is what I have been waiting for all these years. I am directing and acting in the film. I am back to square one with it. I wrote a one-liner for the film — it is about ‘moksha’. There is a fixed budget that we are trying to stick to, but we want to present the story in our own unique style.
The technicalities of the film...
‘Srinivasa Kalyana’ will be the first Kannada feature film which will use colour grading and visual effects that will be done in Canada, by a friend who works as a prime compositor for Hollywood films. It is a 5D film and will also unveil a visual technique called the ‘Parallax effect’ in one of its songs. I am positive that the audience will like it.
Are you more nervous or excited?
(Smiles) A mix of both. I am nervous, just like I am after every project, but I am more excited. The different experiences I have had come together for this project. The movie is almost done and it will hit the screens in a couple of months.