JOIN USNaveen Dwarakanath to work with Pruthvi Ambaar for the first time
How difficult is it to juggle a full-time job and your passion? Ask Naveen Dwarakanath, an IT professional-turned-film director, who has successfully managed both with ease for over two decades.
His inspiration to make films stems from his childhood. “My mother, who is a school principal now, got me hooked to plays, mono acting, and mimicry since my childhood. I joined P N Rudrappa’s theatre group in college and after getting into C R Simha’s theatre group in 2004, I worked on my desire to narrate stories. My aim was to make short movies with a strong social message,” he says. Naveen has six short movies to his credit; ‘Shadow’ (2005), in English, was his first one. It was screened in Suchitra Film Society to a packed audience. His second movie ‘ArivinaHaadi’ focuses on how children from villages migrate to big cities with dreams, but instead fall prey to drugs, alcohol, and wrong-doings.
“I am quite observant and most of my ideas are triggered by real-life instances that happen around me,” he says. ‘Yellow Board’ is another project close to the director’s heart. It was inspired by his wife’s experience in Chennai.
It explores the nuances of the language barrier faced by a young non-Kannadiga girl when she hails a cab in Bengaluru.
Naveen points out that film screenings and the way films are being made have changed over the years, thanks to technology. “I remember a time when we showcased our short movies to more than 6,000 children; we had to carry a television set because the government schools did not have projectors. Today YouTube is a powerful medium, though there are both pros and cons. While it enables people from all around the world to watch my work, the negative aspect is that anybody with a phone camera can upload a video and call it a short film. There is no need for aesthetic sense or vision and this is unfortunate,” he says.
He is currently gearing up to direct a feature film in Kannada which will be produced by friend and fellow movie-buff Naveen Rao. The commercial film, titled ‘For Regn’, is slated to be a romantic comedy with actor Pruthvi Ambaar of ‘Dia’ fame playing the lead role. Vivek SK is the cinematographer and Harisha R will compose music for the movie.
Though the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted finalisation of the locations and shooting schedules, Naveen remains optimistic.
“The constant support from my parents, wife, family and friends has been a huge motivating factor in everything I do. I have realised quite early in life that providing for one’s family is important so I always tell people to have a secure job and then follow their dreams,” Naveen says.