Avva deals with important issues:Kavitha

doweshowbellyad=0; Kavitha Lankesh. (TOI Photo)It’s the first full-on liplock in parallel Kannada cinema. But director Kavitha Lankesh cannot understand why there’s so much buzz in the media about the kiss in her film. “
Actually, there are lots of such moments in the film and they all lead to one of the most sensual moments during the climax. But I’m surprised everybody thinks there’s just one liplock in the film that has been reported,” laughs Kavitha.
So what made Kavitha, a filmmaker who dabbles in meaningful cinema, adopt a commercial element like a liplock in Avva? “It’s not like passion and sensuality are only limited to commercial cinema.It’s just that unlike mainstream films, we don’t have them in our films unless it’s a part of the script. While Avva deals with important issues, there’s also a love story unfolding within.
My lead actors, Vijay and Smitha, are two villagers who’re romantically involved and lust for each other. And a kiss is the most normal expression of love between a couple. Besides, there’s also an element of shyness to the act, which adds to its innocence. It wasn’t to titillate the audience,” says Kavitha.
And directing such a scene, a first for both the actors and Kavitha, was no easy task. “It was tough convincing both my actors. But Vijay was comparatively cooler. All he said was, ‘I don’t want my wife and kids to watch it!’ It was Smitha who took time to get used to the idea. I even sat down with both of them and explained why it was needed, and they finally agreed,” says Kavitha
But there were more hurdles. “It took a while before I could can the shot because the concept was new for both Vijay and Smitha. They were very uncomfortable in the beginning. So they took time to get the angles right — I couldn’t see their faces sometimes! Even the chemistry wasn’t coming across, so I was very wary because that could end up looking like Vijay was mauling Smitha. So after 11 takes, I finally okayed the shot,” laughs Kavitha.
She’s is also aware that the kisses are crucial to her film. “I know the kiss could make or kill my film because the audience could either feel queasy or appreciate the scene. And I’ve done my best in making the shot look aesthetic. And it’s not like I will be doing this in all my films citing that it’s necessary for the script; I’m not a Mahesh Bhatt production,” adds Kavitha.
And does she think her audience is ready for such intimacy on screen? “I’m sure the Kannada audience is very evolved. There’s also a senior actor like Shruti who’s given such a mind-blowing performance that it gives me goose bumps to just think of it. There’s more to my film than the kissing,” says the director.
Meanwhile, Smitha admits she did feel nervous in spite of all the pep talks by Kavitha, “but when I saw the rushes, the scene actually looked very natural. Kavitha had to scream at us to kiss properly! But I’m happy Kavitha is the one who handled it because she’s a very sensible director and has made the film look really beautiful,” says Smitha.