Raj B Shetty has a penchant for springing surprises. The multifaceted artist has already created a niche for himself in the Kannada film industry but it’s his latest foray into Malayalam cinema that has got everyone talking and for the right reasons.
The creative force behind films like Ondu Motteya Kathe, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, and Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye is all set to kick off a new and interesting phase of his bustling career as he matches toe to toe, wit to wit with none other Malayalam superstar Mammootty himself in the upcoming Vysakh film Turbo.
So, it seemed an opportune moment to catch up with Raj B Shetty about the experience of working with a superstar, working in a different industry, learning new things, and also looking forward. Here are excerpts from the freewheeling chat:
Mammootty sir and I have a few sequences in which we come face-to-face. But I had to shoot a big scene on my very first day on the sets and that involved him as well. I play a Tamilian named Vetrivel Shanmugha Sundaram and I was originally given lines or dialogues in Tamil. Since I don’t speak Tamil, I had to put in a lot of effort to learn the lines and show up. Then the director decided that it’d be better if my character spoke Malayalam instead and I was given new dialogues about a page long! That scene has Mammootty sir’s character simply staring at me, without saying a word, and I am doing all the talking (laughs)!
It was an intimidating experience initially. Even though I am comfortable speaking Malayalam, having to learn all those many lines in like 5 minutes was still a tall ask. But sir knew I was uncomfortable, so he picked up the script and mouthed the dialogues to ease me into the scene. After that small collaborative effort, it was plain sailing for me because I realised he wanted to help me.
See, I play a strong character, this self-centred guy who just doesn’t care how society views him, and I wanted to do a good job. I needed to make my character feel stronger than the other major antagonists of the film, played by actors like Kabir Duhan Singh sir and Sunil sir. And if something like that happens on your very first day of shoot, you do sense a few doubts creeping in. But with the way Mammootty sir treated the situation, I got comfortable pretty fast.
It was both fun and enriching to work on this film. Director Vysakh and I got off on the right foot on the very first day. He would never meddle with my process and just gave me so much freedom; I could make suggestions if I didn’t like something, maybe even approach a particular scene or a moment with a different perspective – you know stuff like that. And he wasn’t rigid about the tone or the pitch of the villain character I play. We experimented a lot.
Yeah, absolutely. Notably, because I got to see a technician like Vysakh approach mass cinema in his own original way. I got to learn a lot on the sets – even though my sensibilities are different as a writer-director, I might still want to make a big film one day and I need to know how to manage everything. Also, I love good commercial cinema as I grew up on the films of Ravichandran sir, Sai Kumar sir, and Shivanna. So, I enjoyed a lot being a part of Turbo. In fact, I would say this is the most fun I have had so far as an actor.
I was always approached for roles but I couldn’t take them up because I was focusing on writing or directing films. But yes, I am very serious about my acting projects today because I realise that a lot can be done through a good collaboration. I have seen how people collaborate, how they contribute, and make good cinema together. So, not only do you get to learn something new and better yourself, but you can also go back and make better Kannada films. And, of course, the characters written for me have been good as well.
Yes, when someone watches me in one of the biggest and most-awaited Malayalam films of the year, they would probably go back and watch Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana or Toby on OTT. Tomorrow, that visibility could help Kannada films get sold in not one but two regions.
See, finally it all comes down to the writing and then something like a solid collaboration comes into the picture. And when I do a Malayalam film, I’m a lot more liberated because I don’t come on board as a writer but only as an actor. In Kannada, though, I feel a sense of responsibility to make our films as good as possible and I like to approach them with a bigger intent to collaborate and contribute. Earlier, I would not do that fearing that I’m interfering but I have realised that you make a better film when you join forces. Fortunately, in Kannada I have been getting offers because filmmakers want to work with not just Raj the actor but also Raj the writer.
Turbo is written by Midhun Manuel Thomas, who is not just a superb writer but also a successful director himself (Aadu 2, Anjaam Pathiraa, Abraham Ozler, among others). He doesn’t need my suggestions as a writer here and I have chosen a script that I liked – it is as simple as that. But I don’t think these kinds of collaborations are happening as strongly in Kannada cinema – a filmmaker like Jadesh K Hampi wrote Kaatera with Tharun Kishore Sudhir. We need more such minds working together.
Firstly, 45 is a really well-written and thought-out project. If a film like that becomes a success, it would be a great boost for the Kannada film industry. And about Shiva Rajkumar, you understand almost immediately that he doesn’t put the weight of his stardom on your shoulders.
There’s one project that I have already begun working on but it remains unannounced because the makers have specific plans for that. There’s another film which is yet to go on the floors but I really love that script and I want that to happen as soon as possible. Post that, I plan to take a break for my own project.
It’s currently in the writing stage. I can’t reveal anything about it except that it’s not a film but a web series.