'Bollywood films are more relaxed'

Fresh Take

Actor Diganth Manchale’s charming looks have always fetched him interesting roles in Sandalwood.Continuing the trend is the upcoming movie ‘Happy New Year’, directed by Pannaga Bharana, where Diganth will be seen playing a software engineer with strong beliefs and an unconventional approach.

In a candid chat with Tini Sara Anien, the actor talks about his role and his journey so far.

What made you agree to this movie?
There are five different stories in the movie and this is a new format. My character Harsha, who has strong beliefs, meets a superstitious girl (Srusti Patil) in Bangkok and the story develops. I liked the romantic comic flavour in our story.
 
A challenging scene...
There was a scene in a montage shot where I had to hang on a 300 m rope and hold on to a camera too. I was really scared that I would drop the camera.

A funny moment on the set...
In another montage, I and Srusti were on a bike and riding without a helmet and license in Bangkok. A cop stopped us and I tried to explain to him that we were shooting for a film, but he couldn’t understand.  Thankfully, the crew members came to our help  before we were taken to the station.

Have you ever worried about being typecast?
Not really. ‘Chowka’ was something very different that I worked on recently. I have matured with each role. I am more open to experimentation and people are taking me more seriously now.

Your fitness mantra is...
I make it a point to sweat it out for at least 30 minutes every day. I do a lot of other activities like cycling, trekking and river rafting too.

The most memorable projects in your career?
I love the movies ‘Pancharangi’, ‘Lifeu Ishtene’ and ‘Gaalipata’.

Who are you closest to in Sandalwood?
I am close to a lot of people in the industry including Ganesh, Prajwal Devaraj, Prem and Vijay
Raghavendra.

After ‘Wedding Pullav’, any other Bollywood projects up your alley?
I’m halfway through with ‘Ticket To Bollywood’, which is by Faraz of ‘War Chhod Na Yaar’ fame.  I met with an accident during the shoot and
the project was halted for a bit, but we will resume shoot soon.

How different was the Bollywood experience?
All film industries speak the same language of cinema. Bollywood films take more time to finish though. They have bigger budgets. Bollywood films are more relaxed.

What else is in the pipeline?
I’m working on the Kannada version of the Malayalam movie ‘Charlie’, which will be called ‘Utsav’. We are also planning to do ‘Gaalipata 2’.