‘Comedy is successful if actors have proper timing’

Actor Rishi talks about why his latest film ‘Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakasha’, releasing on December 20, appeals to the lay public

Actor Rishi, is still basking in the success of ‘Kavaludaari’. His latest project, ‘Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakasha’, releasing on December 20, promises to be a total entertainer. Directed Anoop Ramaswamy, Rishi says the script is well-entrenched in comedy. The songs, action sequences and romance has been tuned to suit the intelligence and sensibilities of the new-age film-goer. In an interview with Metrolife, Rishi talks about how he agreed to the script and more.

What made you accept ‘Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakasha’?

After ‘Operation Alamelamma’ and ‘Kavaludaari’ worked well, I realised that there is a definite audience for such films. There is a section among the Kannada film-goers who are very choosy about the kind of films they want to watch. I wanted to cater to this category. I could totally relate to the characters and the situations in this film. This is a very new-age concept and the sensibilities are very real and relatable. I play a character called Vedant. He is an MBA graduate who is from a typical middle-class family. His father is deep in debt and yet borrows heavily to take care of his wife who is bed-ridden. But Vedant aspires for a good life and isn’t really bothered by the tension in his household. The story takes a turn when circumstances force Vedant to arrange for a large sum of money in a short time.

Comedy is what guides the film. Every scene in the film is sure to evoke laughter.

Comedy is successful only when the actors adhere to the correct timing. How you say a dialogue, what you say when and the pauses that you give, play an important role in bringing in laughter. In a comedy film, editing also plays an important role. Even if the editor cuts an early shot, we will lose the flow. There’s a lot of confusion that’s deliberately created, but the humour keeps the entertainment quotient running high.

There’s a lot of variation in your body language. How did you manage the switch?

We wanted to create a character who is very relatable and someone you meet on a day-to-day basis. He isn’t made of any hero material but becomes a hero because of what he does when he is pushed into a situation that demands extraordinary efforts from him. He doesn’t really bash up guys but uses his intelligence to get out of a sticky situation.

What were some of the challenges in executing your role?

The exceptional cast made my job easy. Right from my childhood, I have always enjoyed singing and dancing. I am not a trained dancer but I had a lot of fun trying to perfect my dance moves. Even the fight sequences are not the regular sort. There’s a lot of humour that’s smuggled in.

On working with co-stars...

My co-stars were fabulous because everybody has an important role. I have some emotional scenes with Dattanna and Dhanya perfectly matches my role. I love the way the actors kept to the perfect timing. Working with each one of them was an extremely satisfying process.

The director also made ‘Gultoo.’ Is this film similar to that?

I understand that people liked the way ‘Gultoo’was narrated. There were new techniques that were used. You can expect an innovative style of narration from this film as well. The directors and writers will also score well here because of the exceptional screenplay and brilliant edits.

You have become very choosy about your projects. Any particular reason?

I always look at every project from the perspective of the audience. When I get an offer, I ask myself if I would enjoy going to a movie like this and if I would pay money to go to the theatres. If I get answers to these questions and I am satisfied with the same then I choose the script because I believe that it is the script that makes an actor a star.