Kannada film based on lives of autodrivers

The trailer of film ‘Kapata Nataka Pathradhari’, that releases today, talks about how a simple love story of an autorickshaw driver gets entangled in complications.

Autorickshaw drivers’ lives have been providing grist for filmmakers to churn out movies. There hasn’t been any Indian language that hasn’t explored stories about the life of an auto driver.

Kannada film industry too has seen movies with stars like Shankar Nag, Vishnuvardhan, Upendra, Ganesh and ‘Duniya’ Vijay essaying the role of an auto driver. Debutant director Krish’s film, ‘Kapata Nataka Pathradhari’ promises to unravel some new dimensions in the life of an auto driver. Krish tells Metrolife, “In earlier films, the spotlight was on the hero than on the character. We saw the hero of the film being glorified but here we see an autorickshaw driver’s life being narrated through a star. The viewers will get a clear picture of how he lives and the struggles he faces in the daily grind.”

Director Krish has written the story and screenplay.

There is a romantic twist to the whole story, “How a middle-class auto driver falls in love with a girl from the same order, and how he struggles to keep their love alive is the heart of the story. But somewhere down the line, there’s a twist in the tale and the auto driver realises that there’s a larger force that’s driving his romantic relationship and the happenings around it,” he explains.

Krish says that he set out to make a simple story on auto drivers but it turned out to be a full blown commercial subject. “There’s a step by step narration of an auto driver’s routine from the time he awakes till he shuts shop for the day. Why he considers the auto his constant companion and the respect that he gives to his profession are some of the other highlights the movie,” says Krish.

The director has spent a considerable amount of time with real auto drivers to make sense of their lives, “We often hear people complain that auto drivers refuse to go on hire and demand excess fare. I’ve analysed why they do so and I’ve concluded that it isn’t wrong to ask extra money because they too struggle for a living. They are as human as we are and their living conditions aren’t that good,” adds Krish.

The director is all praises for his lead actors Balu Nagendra and Sangeetha Bhat. “Both of them have perfectly understood their respective characters and delivered exactly what was expected of them,” he says.

Krish says that he has attempted to tell a simple and honest story through unique narration and screenplay.

“Most of the songs have live musical instruments. The recording was done in London, Chennai and a few other places. We have made concerted efforts to keep the music original and different.”

The trailer of ‘Kapata Nataka Pathradhari’ will release today.