The director sheds light on the thematic evaluation of the film, its elements of transgression, and the concept of "violence" in the real world
A lot's been said and written about Raj B. Shetty's 'Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana' ahead of its scheduled release on the 19th of November. For those who have managed to watch the film before most others, it has revealed itself as a seminal piece of work as the visceral tale from the trenches of Mangaluru which manages to not only impress them, but also amplify their hopes and interests in Kannada Cinema. Raj, leading from the front, is overwhelmed by the reception but is also coy about the fact that his film is in such grand spotlight right now. In an exclusive chat with ETimes Kannada, Raj B. Shetty discusses being privy to the gangster milieu while growing up, the theme of violence, and how the story, in its purest essence, communicates anti-violence. Here are the excerpts:
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The film's been getting rave reviews from all corners. What's the feeling like right now?
Oh, I am so, so overwhelmed, happy. Along with the industry colleagues and others, a few audience members too have watched it and the response has been tremendous. Like I said, it's really overwhelming at the moment.
Image Courtesy: Midhun Mukundan
You know, despite this being a gangster-drama, or a genre film, per se, the element of a personal story seems prominent. How much of the story is derived from personal experiences
I was born and brought up in Mangaluru. The language, the culture, the people - they are all part of me and I have imbibed everything from a very young age. And especially, in the case of those associated with crime or the gangster world, so to speak, I have had a fair amount of access to how they functioned and moved about because Mangaluru is a closed-knit place where people know each other very well. And if you are a true-blue Mangalurean, you will know that this gangster exists here, who he is, and he came about. Since, I was privy to that, it was able to create the world very easily.
Personally, I was curious to explore the game of power and violence that such people are engrossed deeply in. "Why are they indulged in it so much and to gain what?" - you tend to ask yourself questions like these and I am also aware of a similar ego that resides in me, the filmmaker, and I think that's where I could draw a similarity between myself and the characters in the story. The ego is manifested mainly because of our own insecurities and we see that showing up every now and then. "Oh, why is he or she getting more credit than I am?", "What is my share in all this, and do they deserve the credit more than me" - these are the questions that we tend to not introspect on so I wanted to explore this concept of ego, albeit with a completely different setup.
Do you agree with the assessment that the film is "violent"? The term has been associated with the film quite a bit, albeit in a positive way, but do you agree with that?
If there's anything, I feel the film is anti violence but violence, in itself, becomes a channel to showcase its consequences. Perhaps this gets lost in translation when two people talk about the film and also the bloodshed, the crime elements do make it appear to be a "violent" tale, so to speak. And yes, the film has a lot of violence but as I said already, it is used only to create the intensity that it withholds and also create the impact - 'Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana' is a film that is anti-violent in its core principle. Hence, the title too which means the collision of two contradictory forces called Hari and Shiva and how this dichotomy creates the impact.
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Was the concept of violence an inherent part of the story? Or did you decide later to use it as a device?
In my opinion, the use of any theme or concept is related to the corruption of your story world. See, for example, I hadn't used a single swear word or any element of violence in 'Ondu Motteya Kathe'. There are no cigarettes, beedis, booze, etc in that film because it is the story of a humble lecturer and if I were to include any of these things, I would be corrupting the story. Similarly, with respect to "Garuda Gamana...", both Shiva and Hari are completely into rowdyism and crime, and if I were to not use violence here, it would be corrupting the story again. There's a sanctity to each story and you can't soil that by including elements that don't belong to it. So, for that reason alone, I would say that violence is an inherent part of this film's story.
Image Courtesy: Midhun Mukundan
Is it tough to act in a film when you are also directing it? Do you feel the pressure?
All these tags of being a "director" or an "actor" on sets are mostly made up, I would say, because while shooting, you needn't feel the burden of your role. If you are directing it, all you need to do is let the actors do their job and you do yours. Same thing applies to them as well and if you have the clarity as a director, actors will do their best. You can't be bogged down by all these pressures because they are mostly in your head.
Image Courtesy: Midhun Mukundan
Can you tell us a little about the visual palette of the film? Also, are you someone who has film references?
The visuals and the soundscape of the film are very natural to the Mangaluru milieu. With the sea on the side, the tropic weather, and the skies being mostly gloomy, you get a beautiful blend of colors with blues and greys featuring prominently. It wasn't a conscious approach to render something unique because the region itself gave us a unique palette.
And as far as film references are concerned, I believe that making a film just because you really appreciate another one is a futile effort. One shouldn't try to make a film that looks and feels like a different but impactful film because it's not an honest approach. For me, the story and the core idea behind it are paramount and I draw inspiration mainly from real people around me.
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