At a time when the debate over the imposition of Hindi rages on, Golden star Ganesh’s home production ‘Geetha’ talks about the importance of protecting and preserving one’s
language.
Ganesh says that it is sheer coincidence that the film released at this time. But he is glad that the message that Kannada is the language of Karnataka is going out nice and strong.
The film is set in the backdrop of the Gokak agitation to restore the primacy of Kannada. It has, through rare photographs and visuals, paid tributes to all heroes who fought during the Gokak agitation.
Ganesh portrays two characters from two different eras, that showcases two different kinds of struggle. He appears as Shankar in the Gokak agitation of the 1980s and as Akash in 2019. “I play an angry young man. The fiery dialogues highlighting the importance of language is what one will get to see. You will also get to see comedy and romance that Ganesh, the actor is known for,” he tells Showtime.
The actor clarifies that there is no connection between the title of the old Shankar Nag film, ‘Geetha’ and the new one. “We have only borrowed the song ‘Geetha Sangeetha’from the
old film of the same name. That is the only similarity. Our film is a tribute to all those who fought in the Gokak agitation,” says Ganesh. There are several scenes in the film where the director has used original footage from the agitation.
“It was a tedious process. After we managed to trace the original pictures, we worked to restore and sharpen the images before it was ready for use,” adds the actor.
Most of the songs in the film have a retro feel to it. Actor Puneeth Rajkumar was roped in to sing a song about Kannada and its culture. “We wanted Puneeth’s voice because it perfectly suited the mood and spirit of the song. He gladly agreed. I have also sung in the background. The visuals of this song contain old pictures of the agitation,” explains Ganesh, who
says that he has always enjoyed singing and wishes to do more of it in his next film.
The film has three women leads. What kind of equation does Ganesh share with them? “I share a different relationship with all the three. One is of friendship, the other is my love interest and the third woman comes in the backdrop of the Gokak agitation,” he adds. There’s also a lot of creativity and thought that has gone into making Ganesh appear like the
character from the 1980s.
“The pocket square, in the colour of the Kannada flag, is a constant with the shirts worn by the character. That was a decision that was made at the scripting stage,” shares Ganesh.
The actor has also physically undergone a transformation. “I had to appear on the heavier side in the scenes that show the agitation, where I play Shankar. And I had to get into a more leaner look for the character of Akash,” Ganesh says.