On my pinboard - Manjunatha Somakeshava Reddy

Mansore is working on his next untitled project, a social thriller which explores more about the bureaucracy

Manjunatha Somakeshava Reddy aka Mansore is known for his unique taste in films. A graduate of visual arts (painting and drawing) from Karnataka Chithrakala Parishath, he took to film direction quite early.

His first film was Harivu, released in 2014, bagged the 62nd National Award for ‘Best Kannada Film’. The film which starred Sanchari Vijay, Aravind Kuplikar and Shweta Desai, also won the Karnataka State Award for ‘Best Production and Direction’.

Mansore’s second film ‘Nathicharami’, was about the life of Gowri, a woman whose life is confused between her physical desires and emotional beliefs. It won five National Awards including Best Kannada film, Best editing, Best lyrics, Best playback singer (female) and a special mention for actress Sruthi, who played the character of Gowri.

The filmmaker is working on his next untitled project, a social thriller which explores more about the bureaucracy.

Saravana Kumar will be directing a script written by Mansore. He will also be working on the screenplay of the film. The film will be Girish V Gowdam, who produced Harivu.

Inspiration

My father: Somakeshava Reddy

“My father designed his own life. The way he dealt with people was inspiring. He used to always say one should work hard and not take shortcuts. He also taught me to share things and to never take away anything from others. Though he has been gone for nine years, I still feel he is with me through his words and lessons.”

Travel destination

Hampi

“Travelling is the best way to find out who one is. My favourite place to visit is Hampi; even the walls and stones of the temples and forts there have a historical significance.

Music

Ilayaraja

My favourite musician is Ilayaraja. I like how he uses unconventional methods to explore music, to communicate emotions and visuals. I’ve always wondered how he keeps the music fresh for each of his projects. Another favourite is A R Rahman. His music has different formats; the ‘pallavi’ might come later and the lyrics, usually seen in the middle, might be placed somewhere else. The music, classical and contemporary, has a tempo different from what any music director makes.

Actor

Dr Rajkumar

“Dr Rajkumar is a phenomenal artiste. In all his films, one will only notice the character he is depicting and forget the actor behind it. I was amazed by his performance in ‘Ondu Muthina Kathe’ and ‘Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma’. All his films have a message to take home. My favourite actor in Telugu is NTR.”

Food

‘Andhra dum biryani’

I absolutely love ‘Andhra dum biryani’ and pepper chicken. I am a fan of non-vegetarian food and I prepare these dishes myself. I love cooking as it is an art and meditation; it helps one calm down.

Author

Poornachandra Tejaswi

“Poornachandra Tejaswi is a favourite. I love the environment he creates in all his writings and the regionalism in them. I even named a character in Nathicharami as Karvalo, because of Tejaswi’s work. U R Ananthmurthy is an all-time favourite. His works like Bettale Pooje Yaake Koodadu have been a top choice. I love reading articles by D R Nagaraj, who is a great literary critic. I also like works by D V Gundappa.”