It was exactly a year ago that Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy burst onto the Kannada movie scene with Aachar & Co., an endearing comedy-drama that she not only starred in as the lead but also wrote and directed. Having then emerged as a voice to look forward to, the multifaceted artist is now back with another exciting gig in the form of Family Drama. Although she isn’t at the helm of things, she has an exciting role in the movie, which releases on Friday, July 26. 

The News Minute caught up with Sindhu to discuss her role, her Aachar & Co. success, the current state of things in the Kannada film industry, and much more. Here are edited excerpts:

Family Drama is your first role since Aachar & Co. What made you say yes to the part and also to the film?

I liked the fact that this film is about a family that’s not stereotypical in any way. Rekha Kudligi ma’am plays my mother and Abhay plays the role of my brother, and the essence of this small family is that they are all pretty selfish, each is greedy for money and so on.

But as the selfish ones often do, these characters have valid reasons to be so and that’s what makes it exciting. These are a dysfunctional, morally corrupt bunch of people who will turn against one another if need be, but they must realise their strength actually lies in being together. Another interesting facet is that the film is a dark comedy that discusses death and murder not in a gory or violent way but in a more light-hearted manner.

Watch the trailer of Family Drama here:

Is it a conscious choice at this point to steer clear from the Aachar & Co. realm?

Yes, certainly. It is important that I attempt something that’s entirely different from what I did there because I don’t want to be stereotyped into one particular genre or one particular character mould. I did get many offers but Family Drama gave me that unique character I was looking for – she isn’t like Suma (her character in Aachar & Co.) in that she lies through her teeth, can be very manipulative and stuff like that. Even the writing, in terms of the central story or the narrative arcs of all the characters, is quite different from what other scripts offered me. Plus I got to work with actors like Rekha Kudligi, Abhay, and the rest of the cast who all are extremely talented.

I am curious to know about some of the other offers you got over the last year...

I will not name the ones that I didn’t take up but I will tell you about the film I did sign up for: I play one of the leads in an anthology titled Naaku Tanti and what’s refreshing is that I get to play a traffic police constable who speaks with a north Karnataka dialect. This is a big departure from all the comedy I have done so far. On top of that, I got to try my hand at action for a day and I realised I love the genre! I hadn’t met an action director up till that point and I ended up learning so many tricks of the trade during that one small sequence.

So, if a filmmaker were to approach you with a script, what do you look for as a priority?

Ideally, I would want it to check three boxes – an amazing story, great scope for performance, and a credible producer and director combination. But I know these three factors don’t always come together, so I am willing to work with any two. Sometimes, the role I play might not be as consequential as the others but if the director’s profile is great and the story works for me, I would still be interested in the project to see how it pans out.

For instance, I didn’t have more than a scene initially in Cinema Bandi (2021) but I loved the story so much that I got on board anyway. Later, when the film’s producers Raj & DK spotted me in the sample and recognised me from my auditions for The Family Man – Season One (2019), they went on to increase the length of my role a little. So, what it means is that you can impress someone with a small, five-minute performance or fail to make a mark even with a full-fledged role.

Are you looking to juggle both acting and direction at this point? Or take each thing as it comes?

I am consciously looking to balance both. In fact, Family Drama came to me as a cameo role, but since I had met Akarsh HP (the director) on a different project a couple of months prior, I asked him why he wouldn’t cast me in a bigger role. Turns out he didn’t know I was up for acting gigs and that’s because there was a misconception post Aachar & Co. that I would only either direct or act in my own films. I felt Family Drama was the perfect excuse to bust that myth.

Having spent some time in the industry now, what do you make of its present state?

Personally, I have received offers from 3-4 producers to make films of the Aachar & Co. ilk. And since they were naturally attracted to what they believe to be my kind of sensibility, it gives me a lot of hope that there is space for everyone here. These are tricky times, for sure, because not many films are working at the box-office, so everybody is interested in exploring something new – be it the genres, the format of filmmaking, the budgets or working with a completely new lot of actors, filmmakers, and writers. What I really wish for is to see a good mix of all scales and sensibilities available for audiences to choose from.

As a writer yourself, do you try to gauge the ‘market’ and see what will work and what won’t while working on a script?

See, it is very important to pick a story that I believe in and something I personally feel connected to. I would definitely not want to write something just because some kind of a trend is popular at the time or I feel something will work better because that’s what the audience wants. End of the day, I will write only if an idea will keep me excited for six months or more.

Of course, once written, it is prudent to look for a producer who can take it to the level you envisioned for your film. PRK Productions, in my case, seemed like the right fit because they have the goodwill of catering to family audiences and backing new-gen filmmakers.

What’s disappointing is to see films like Chilli Chicken, Bisi Bisi Ice Cream, and many others sink without a trace, despite all the critical praise. How do you suppose those filmmakers are dealing with this slippery slope?

When you encounter these kinds of results, you realise the privilege you had of starting off with an entity like PRK Productions. Even during the course of promoting Family Drama, I saw that it takes a lot of effort to work from the ground up whereas a reputed production house gives you a set platform.

So, the biggest issue that other new filmmakers face is marketing their films. They all have great conviction in their material and boast all the skills required to execute their stories, but they struggle the most with spreading the word about the final product. Marketing, for some reason, is awarded a really low budget here. We all know that in other industries, a good chunk of the budget is dedicated to promoting the film but we aren’t able to do that – and consequently, audiences don’t even have a clue that a particular film is out in theatres.

Finally, what can you tell us about your next directorial?

(Laughs) Well, I can’t divulge anything now but maybe in a couple of months. At the moment, I can share that my next will be the anthology Naaku Tanti, which has four stories and each is led by a female actor. What’s more interesting is that each story is directed by a male director. That’s currently in post-production.