My appearance got me a role in my own film: Raj B Shetty

Mangaluru-based

Raj B Shetty

is a graduate in social work, has been an RJ, a script writer at advertising agencies and a short film maker. It was only after he met friend and now producer Suhan Prasad that he added another double feather in his cap —that of a film director and lead actor. Days before the release of his film,

Ondu Motteya Kathe

, Raj tells us about his journey and why he thinks he ‘unfortunately’ had to act in his own directorial debut. Excerpts…

So many career changes in so little time. Have you found your true calling?
I enjoy telling stories. During my first job as an RJ, I enjoyed telling stories from that small recording cabin. Advertising too came with its share of exposure. But my short films really helped me pursue my passion and take it to another level. In fact, even Ondu Motteya Kathe was originally written as a short film. It was only at Suhan’s insistence that we reworked it into a full-fledged film. I worked on the script for two months before we were ready to begin casting. I did try getting into Tulu films as a director, but I was not ready to compromise on my stories, so none of them took off.

Did you write the film with you as the protagonist in mind?
Not at all. It is a story about a bald man, alright. It is about life from his point of view, his aspirations and his own turmoils with regard to dealing with the way people around him treat him because of his lack of hair. On another level, it is a story that everyone can relate to because every individual feels that he or she is in need of a little something that would make their life better. While one may want to be taller or gain a few pounds, others would want to be a bit more dusky or fair. My appearance, unfortunately, got me a role in my own film. We did have a series of auditions for this role, but over time we figured that it would work out best if I played it myself.

There were auditions for cast members?
Yes. Additionally, there was a two-month workshop by which each actor was so well trained for their roles that they knew exactly what to do during the shoot. They were even made to wear the clothes and accessories that their characters would, and practise the habits and behaviours of their characters, so much so that it was almost a part of them. This was necessary as we were working on a very limited budget and could not afford to shoot for more than 16 days at a stretch. They were also informed right at the audition that this project involved serious work, for which they would not be paid.

So, the cast and crew has not been paid?
That was a criteria. Thankfully, we have all been paid — but that was only after Pawan Kumar came on board. Until then, we only had plans of releasing this film in Mangaluru and Udupi. With that, we were ensured of breaking even. But with Pawan’s involvement, the film has already been a part of film festivals abroad and the entire process has been overwhelming.

What about this story do you cherish the most?
Many things… I play a

Kannada

lecturer in the film and the language, incidentally, is one of my passions. An interesting bit is that we have used Mangaluru Kannada dialect in the film and it is very different from what you would speak or hear here in Bengaluru. While Bengaluru Kannada is more casual and matter-of-fact, Mangaluru Kannada has a sing-song way of tone, so it automatically sounds subdued and polite. This was important for the story as the character is a bald man with his own set of inferiorities – and the dialect automatically lowers the tone of his speech. I have also written the lyrics for the songs in the film and I feel each one, now composed by Midhun Mukundan, is one that will stay with the listener.

With this sort of preparation, would you say that OMK is exactly how you imagined it?
OMK is a simple story, but it has been extremely tough to execute it. It is one man’s perspective, so what you see is only what he sees. Yet, the response so far has been rather encouraging. Those who have only seen the trailer till now and have liked it, I can only say that the film is a lot better than its trailer.