Puneeth Rajkumar has a good business sense: ‘French Biriyani’ star Danish Sait

Actor Danish Sait has become the talk of the town with his latest film French Biriyani (produced by Puneeth Rajkumar), which released on Amazon Prime Video on Friday. Speaking to DH, he says that ‘Appu’ is a terrific producer with an impeccable business sense and never hesitates to back a good movie. Danish also makes it clear that he has no issues with French Biriyani not getting a theatrical release amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Edited excerpts)

How was the experience of working on French Biriyani?

French Biriyani was the first time someone came up to me with a script. I had written the script of Humble Politician Nograj myself so this was a first. I had a fun time working on the film and learnt a lot.

How did you prepare for your role in the film?

I play an auto driver in French Biryani. As I have grown up in Bengaluru, I was quite familiar with the basics (lifestyle) of the character.

French Biriyani has been produced by Puneeth.

He is a producer who never hesitates to back (put money into) a project. Moreover, he has good business sense. In a way, he is a dream producer. He could have waited for theatres to reopen but decided to release it on an OTT platform. I fully second the decision. I know, very well that once theatres reopen it will be the (bigger) stars who take things further

Does your experience as a radio jockey and a comedian come in handy while acting?

Radio as a medium teaches one how to make material as concise as possible. Comedy again teaches you the importance of brevity. Acting is more or less pretty much about the same, so it all comes together. In a way, my experience in comedy and radio helps me improvise when I am acting.

How did you get interested in comedy?

While growing up, comedy was a great escape for me as I believe that laughter is the best medicine. I hosted events early on and then took up RJing as I wanted stability. The radio industry still has a corporate setup to a large extent.

What type of rapport do you share with Kubra Sait?

Kubra is a simply fantastic actor and I know her as my sister. I have learnt the importance of patience from her. I called her up before Sacred Games released and we call each other up every time we have a release.

How do you deal with failures or setbacks?

How long can you live in the past? You have got to move on. One should learn from the past and make your today better as today dictates the future.