The daredevil director with a dream

An engineer by training, Shashank Soghal relentlessly pursued his dream of making films that reflect sociopolitical realities and contemporary debates

The Kannada cinema industry is at a crossroads, with big banner movies like Kantara winning mass approval and making big bucks. It is in this context that the film Daredevil Mustafa (DDM) was released last year. Based on a story authored by Poornachandra Tejaswi, this group-funded movie struck a chord with viewers.

Daredevil Mustafa is a simple story about how egos can turn problematic in a communally sensitive society. It was adapted to cinema by 34-year-old filmmaker Shashank Soghal. 

Converting a short story into a full-fledged movie involves much work, says K M Chaitanya, director of Aa Dinagalu. “There is no compromise in DDM on technical aspects like cinematography or music. When the shoot takes place over four years, the director may lose grip on the narration, look and feel. But DDM has not lost its grip, it shows great creative stamina," he says. 

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Well-known Kannada film director Mansore appreciates Soghal's sensibility, creativity and commitment. Given the current socio-political climate, "choosing a Tejaswi story to counter the religious narrative of today is a brave move," he adds.

The birth of the idea 

Soghal, who hails from Mysuru, attended many cultural programmes as a child.  His father, retired BSNL engineer Ramaswamy Soghal, taught his son the art of presentation. 

“I used to lure him with offers of GTR dosa as a bribe to motivate him to win competitions,” quips his father. 

Planning and execution have been Shashank's biggest strengths right from when he used to plan skits in school and college. He directed a play when he was in Class 5 and attended Rangayana camps regularly. 

Watching popular Kannada films in the 2000s as an engineering student in Mysuru also helped him envision the kind of movies he intended to make. “My college had a cosmopolitan population. They would look at me differently if I said I watched Kannada cinema,” he says. 

He was disappointed with the quality of Kannada movies, but he would defend the bad films by highlighting a few good ones. His desire to make better movies began to take shape.

It was when Shashank started reading literature based on caste and ideology that he first came across Daredevil Mustafa in 2014. The story left him restless and unsettled. As these thoughts loomed, the dream of bringing the story to the masses took root.

Credit: DH Photo

He was working at a software firm after completing his engineering degree. With no background or contacts in the film industry, his dream would have remained a dream had he not started working on short films with his friends. 

Around that time, Shashank had an opportunity to contest in Kannadada Kotyadhipathi, hosted by Puneeth Rajkumar. His statement on the show about wanting to do a film with Puneeth if he won Rs 1 crore became sensational. The Rs 12.5 lakh he won through the show funded some of his short films.

Initial projects

Most of Soghal’s short films are rooted in contemporary issues and have an element of social consciousness. In the past, he has made films like Che, based on student suicides. Another short film, Mugdha Yuddha, artfully criticises corruption through the lens of a child. Chadmavesha is based on the treatment of women in society. Phatinga, an entertainer-thriller, won the jury’s special award at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) and SIIMA Short Film Awards. 

In 2016, he got a job offer from Colors Kannada. “That was also a corporate job, but it helped me with contacts, networking, and gave me the experience of working on big sets,” he says. But his heart was not in it.

He discussed the idea of DDM with Ananth Shandreya, a colleague then.  Eventually, he decided to take the big leap by quitting his job. 

It was not easy to get funds for the movie. Though the team got the rights to make the film, attempts to reach out to producers were unsuccessful. Many did not like the story or the subject it dealt with. “But I wanted to make this story into a film. What is the point of changing it?”

“He always said the movie should become a social statement. He was not bothered whether it made money,” says Shandreya. He adds that Kannada cinema has very few movies with Muslim protagonists, and making Tejaswi’s story into a cinema was a “daredevil” attempt in itself.

Three directors, including Girish Kasaravalli, have made movies based on Tejaswi's stories in the past. In the case of DDM, Soghal had to extend the story using cinematic liberty because the literature did not yield to the classic film format.  

It was then that a colleague suggested group-funding the film. A team member committed Rs 10 lakh. A plea on Facebook received a good response from Tejaswi fans. Work started before the pandemic. 

Rahul Roy, who met Shashank through Facebook, collaborated with him for a short film earlier. Shashank roped Rahul in for DDM as well. “New out-of-the-box ideas came from the DDM team, and as the ship's captain, Shashank made them take shape,” Rahul says. 

“Working with him is fun. We get to learn a lot too," says Raghavendra Mayakonda, who debuted his career as a dialogue writer with the movie.

Shashank auditioned many for the film and chose new faces. Shishir Baikady, who debuted on the silver screen as Mustafa, reveals the chilled-out side of Shashank. “He is a great problem-solver. He offered us freedom and involved us in the creative process. He makes no one feel neglected. I have learnt how to plan better from him,” he explains.

While editing the movie, Shashank says the story felt relevant to current events in the state, including the hijab versus saffron shawl controversy and the cry for a uniform civil code. While the movie’s subject pushed many into apprehension, the expectations of Tejaswi fans added another layer of pressure.

Actor and producer Dhananjaya, who liked the movie, took it upon himself to present it to the audience through his Daali pictures. "I have seen all his short films. The way he has grown is impressive. The choice of the story made me happy. The way the movie was made was even more impressive, so I stood with the movie," says Dhananjaya. 

Shashank credits the success of the movie to his team. Made with an overall budget of Rs 1.25 crore, DDM is one of the few films that had a good theatrical run in 2023. Digital, satellite and dubbing rights for Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam rights have been sold. In 2024, the dubbed movie will be released in these languages.

“Rooted Kannada stories celebrating a writer are rare in Kannada,” says Kartik Gowda, proprietor of KRG Studios, a big name in the Kannada industry. He says it is a great achievement to recreate the Malnad of yesteryears and actors who fit the characters. Gowda says he is proud to have distributed the film. He hopes for more such rooted films to come from Shashank.