Ananth Nag is excited after a long time

When you have acted in more than 200 films in a career spanning over four decades, it takes a lot for an actor to get excited about a film. And this is what has happened with Ananth Nag with

Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu

. The actor speaks about the challenges of playing a man who suffers from Alzheimer's, and why a role like this is one that audiences get to see only once in a decade.
Can you tell us a little about your role in the film? I play a middle-class man who loses his wife to cancer. His son (played by Rakshit Shetty) doesn't have time for him, so my character lives in an old-age home. He then goes missing and is caught in a crime tangle. When I was approached with the script, I instantly liked it as it was very different from any other script that I have come across.
What about the movie impressed you? Hemanth's (M Rao, the director) approach is fresh and there is a juxtaposition of 3-4 tracks, which will keep audiences engaged. I can't compare this film to any other movie that I have acted in before as it is very unique. I shouldn't say this, but normally, one does all kinds of films and one is not very enthusiastic about watching them, but with Godhi Banna', I was very keen on watching the film and was very impressed with what I saw. There is no melodrama in the film, and the crime, love track and the father-son relationship are very subtle and the emotions are controlled. Hemanth has handled it all very well. I am excited about a movie after a long time.

It seems like an intense role. How challenging was it? I get very subjective about my roles. I met with a couple of patients who were suffering from Alzheimer's before we shot, and some patients are very jolly, happy and laughing all the time, while others sink into gloom. There are different stages of Alzheimer's, and my character isn't in the extreme form of the illness. But there were a couple of scenes that were very tough and emotionally draining. We are taught to be thoughtless, but then the question arises about what goes on in the mind of an Alzheimer's patient ' what does he think about? Also, you have to keep the audiences in mind and have to practise a lot of restraint as people don't like seeing something very bad or ugly.
The story seems to largely revolve around you. Other film industries have such roles for senior actors, but there don't seem to be too many here' Yes, such roles are too few and far between, and perhaps come just once in a decade. Yes, the story revolves around my character, but there are interesting things happening to other characters as well. The big question is, what next? Such roles are rare to come by, so one has to wait for them.
What was your experience of working with a young cast and crew? It was a wonderful experience. They were in awe of me because of my seniority, and I was in awe of the role. Overall, it was enjoyable and a very different experience. Hemanth, Rakshit, Sruthi (Hariharan) and Vasishta (N Simha) have all done very good work. After a long time, I am impressed with a film in which I figure. I usually have some suggestions to give, but with this film, I thought that whatever script Hemanth gave me was brought to life properly with his visualization.