His maiden directorial venture ‘Yekka Saka’ brought him incredible fame and his second film ‘Pilibail Yamunakka’ has scripted history as far as Tulu film industry is concerned. With two glorious feathers on his cap, Sooraj Shetty is now gazing at the horizons of success with a plan to make first of Coastalwood’s crowd-funded film named ‘English’. Shetty talks to newskarnataka.com about his films, his dreams and much more.
Q: Both your films are super-hit. What is the secret ingredient for this success?
SS: First ingredient is hard work and second ingredient is the blessing of Tulu film goers. There is nothing more to the list.
Q: There are overtones of comedy in your films. What is the reason behind this?
SS: From childhood, I have been a great fan of comedy flicks. I hated the fact that I would go to the theatres, pay money and end up sobbing on the seat. I want to laugh out loud and be happy. I have not felt like doing anything other than comedy so far. I do not know what future holds in store for me. But, the fact is that the script I am working on too have overtones of comedy.
Q: They say there are lots and lots of people with crab mentality in Tulu film industry. Have you experience the pull?
SS: I have never paid attention to the ones who pull you down. I have hence not experienced anything of that kind so far. But, having said that, I feel such people are there in all the fields. So film industry is not an exception.
Q: Tell us more about your ‘filmy’ journey.
I consider cameraman H C Venu as my Godfather. I started off making advertisement and moved on to television soap operas. Then, after toiling in Kannada film industry for 12 long years, I have learnt the intricate details of film-making. I moved into Tulu films and worked in ‘Kanchilda Bale’. Here I got a chance to interact with great names like TS Nagabharana and others. Since then, there has been no looking back.
Q: You are again making history by even attempting to make a crowd funded Tulu film? What was the whole idea?
I believe that a crowd funded film will have larger reach. It also gives opportunity for new talents. If you look around, no film industry is static, there is something new and innovative happening everywhere. If this is the case, why should we stay behind? There are lot of people who have the aspiration to make good films, but they often face paucity of funds. This is one small move to bring together such aspirations and make a film.
Q: Can we know little more about ‘English’?
One trend among us is that we often belittle our mother tongue and embrace English and unfortunately our general perception is that one who speaks good English is an ‘intellectual’. ‘English’, my next film is again a satire that revolves around our foolish notion. I have to say that the title of the film is ‘English’, but it is a pukka Tulu entertainer!
Q: There are rumours that ‘Pilibail Yamunakka’ team has split due to bitter reasons. Is this true?
SS: The news of the split is true, but I must clarify that it was not as bitter as it is make to sound. Our friendship was corrupted by some ‘human viruses’. We did sort out things but we could not come back together. But, my good wishes and support will always be there with the parted team members.
