'Drama will appeal to youngsters'

Kannada heartthrob Yash faced moderate successes with his two releases Lucky and Jaanu earlier this year. In fact, Jaanu was declared the best initials that Yash's films had drawn at the box office till date.

Last year, the actor tasted success with Rajdhani and Kirataka as the latter emerged a surprise winner at the box office opening up a good market for Yash in semi-urban and rural areas of Karnataka state.

Yash is all set with his latest film, Yogaraj Bhat's Drama, releasing on November 23.

In this interview with Srikanth Srinivasa, Yash talks about his role in the movie and what it takes to work with a director like Yogaraj Bhat.

What is your role in Drama?

It is difficult to define the character that I play for it does not hold on its own. Every character has a certain graph, be it at an emotional level or other levels.

The role I am playing is simply beyond comprehension. My character has a child-like element, who doesn't know what is right or wrong. I cannot say that I play an innocent boy but he is someone who flirts with life. There is no limitation to how this character should behave.

How did you go on board this movie?

I was very excited when Yogaraj Bhat called me for this role.

When he began scripting, he used to call us to his office to discuss how each and every character was taking shape. We discussed at the scripting level for a few months before actually going on to the sets.

He was trying to work out how I could bring in the right intonation with my voice. Every day we were in for a surprise as there was something being added to the script or on the sets. My role has seen a great deal of evolution.

How was it to work with Yogaraj Bhat?

For me, it was like going back to basics. It was also like going to a theatre workshop. Right from the reading stage to getting under the skin of the character, there was a lot of preparation that went into the process even before we could go on to the sets.

Scripting itself took almost three months. After finishing my shoot in the evenings, we used to have long discussions so that we could understand what we were supposed to do. Yogaraj Bhat used to discuss my weaknesses and strengths and how I would react to situations.

It was team work and a lot of fun to be working with Satish and speaking in the Mandya dialect or for that matter, working with Radhika.

Why do you think the film is titled Drama?

There are a lot of unexpected happenings in the film. We hear about ourselves being characters in our day-to-day lives and that we are all performing a kind of drama in the world.

How was Bhat's style of functioning as a director?

Yogaraj Bhat has deep knowledge of a lot of things. He is a very hard working director. When you talk to him, you feel he has a lot of contempt or cynicism towards a lot of things but deep within, he is a very serious person. He tries to show that he is careless and unorganised but he knows what he wants.

He dreams cinema when he discusses things with us.

Yogaraj Bhat also gave us artistes a lot of freedom to perform. I tried a lot of new things which enjoyed his support and encouragement. I enjoyed that freedom as an artiste. It was like going back to theatre and expressing myself. There was a lot of synchronization between the director's vision, his expectations and what we delivered as actors.

How was it work with 'Rebel Star' Ambareesh?

It was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was fun working with him. He is a live wire, loud and fun-loving. He used to tease the director and the cinematographer. I have grown up imitating him and saying his dialogues. We have all grown up seeing his movies and performances. There was a lot of love and respect towards him.

How was Ambareesh's involvement in his role?

He is a director's actor. He used to give a shot that was expected of him.

Ambareesh used to say, 'I will do whatever you say and give whatever you want.' Such is his involvement as a senior actor once the camera is on. It was a learning experience for me as we got to see his involvement in the role. He plays a narrator in the movie.

What can the audiences expect from the movie?

The film is quick paced unlike Yogaraj Bhat's earlier movies. It is a contemporary love story that will appeal to today's youngsters. Audiences can expect complete entertainment. People may begin to think differently about life as this film is likely to give a different take on life.