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'Aarakshaka is different from my earlier films'
Flush with the success of his last two Kannada outings -- Aaptarakshaka and Aapta Mitra, both starring the late superstar Vishnuvardhan -- Vasu has come together with superstar Upendra for the first time with his new film.
P Vasu had said during the making of Aarakshaka that he had written the story of the film after watching Upendra's earlier hits A, H2O, Rakta Kanneeru and Super.
In this interview, the director talks to Srikanth Srinivasa about the film and what the audiences can expect from it.
What is your latest film all about?
Aarakshaka is a family entertainer and it deals with a psychological character that will be different from what audiences have seen and experienced in my last two Kannada films.
'Aarakshaka is not a horror film'
Following the success of Aaptarakshaka, have you taken to banking on the same genre?
Although the script of Aarakshaka is in the same style as that of my previous movies, there is no element of horror in this one. I cannot compare this totally with my last two films.
'Kannada films have to compete with other language films to survive'
Why did you take up a similar subject?
No, this movie is not like Aapta Mitra or Aaptarakshaka. I believe that we need to be different and give something new to audiences. Today, every film has to be different.
Cine-goers in Karnataka have a wider choice of films from other languages especially in big cities, and Kannada films have to compete with other language films to survive and create an identity of their own.
Why did Nagavalli, which was a remake of Aaptarakshaka, fail in Telugu?
I think Rajnikanth's performance in Chandramukhi was fresh in people's minds. Although Venkatesh performed well in the Telugu version of Aaptarakshaka, I sincerely believe that the audiences expected Rajnikanth to do the film.
'This film runs entirely on the screenpaly'
What are the elements to look out for in Aarakshaka?
The story of the whole movie runs on one character. We have two heroines, Sadaa and Ragini, who enjoy equally important roles in the movie. While Sadaa's role is performance-oriented, Ragini provides the glamour quotient.
What can audiences expect from Aarakshaka?
I can tell you this movie runs entirely on the screenplay. We have designed different kinds of sound effects and I can say that the last 25 minutes of the movie will be effective and engaging for audiences.
Audiences can watch out for an edge-of-the-seat climax. I am confident that Aarakshaka will generate a positive response from audiences. I believe that the standard of the screenplay will be understood by discerning Kannada cine-goers.
'We have captured the beautiful locales of Kannur in Kerala'
How was it working with Upendra who is a superstar and a director himself?
Upendra is highly professional. He sticks to the basics of acting. He is a director's actor and the audience can expect a powerful performance from him.
Where was the film shot?
P K H Das is the cinematographer. The film was shot in Bangalore and Mysore. For the first time in Kannada cinema, we have captured the beautiful locales of Kannur in Kerala.
Gurukiran has scored the music and we have shot three songs in Bangkok, Thailand.
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