"I got into the film industry while searching for a public toilet", an exclusive interview
The Kannada movie ‘Huliraaya’ is generating a lot of buzz in social media, thanks to Pushkar films and Paramvah Studios who have decided to support this film by distributing it and for the many positive reviews from celebrities who have watched the celebrity premiere. Aravind Kaushik, has directed this film after unconventional films such as Thuglak and Nam Areal Ondina.
Actor Balu Nagendra from Huliraaya has been the center of much of the attention and praise for his brilliant performance as ‘Huliraaya’. His role, Rekke Venkatesa, in the movie Kaddipudi brought him much fame and recognition.
Here is a tete-a-tete with the prominent personality Balu Nagendra for Creative Guyz.
1) Tell us something about your role in the movie Huliraaya?
My character's name in the movie is Suresha who is well known by the name ‘Huliraaya’. He is basically a boy from a remote forest area. He has a childlike innocence which is portrayed beautifully in the movie. A situation arises where he has to go to the city of Bengaluru. Whether he is going to sustain there or not and why has he come to the city forms the major plot of the movie.
2) As the release is approaching fast what’s going on in your mind?
After the premier shows most of the celebrities have appreciated our work and the film is creating a lot of buzz because of it. Indeed it’s a very nice thing that appreciation for new comers is welcomed by the industry veterans.
3) What was your reaction when you heard that Pushkar and Rakshit Shetty are ready to distribute your movie?
Both of them have achieved much success in the film industry, together they have given us recent hits like Kirik Party and Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu. Both of them are very professional and highly industrious people, who are encouraging new comers and giving them a lot of confidence. Indeed it’s a great move by Pushkar and Rakshit, taking up Huliraaya and providing it an opportunity to reach the maximum possible audience. We, the whole team of Huliraaya are thankful to Pushkar and Rakshit Shetty.
4) Since most of the movie was shot in the forest, what difficulties did the team face during shooting?
Apart from rain nothing much had interrupted the shoot in the forest. At some points we enjoyed the rain and shot while it was raining. The movie was shot in the dense forests of Agumbe Ghat, near the Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, at the banks of the Seeta river. It’s a beautiful and wonderful place which most of the people would not have visited otherwise. It was a wonderful experience shooting in the forest. We also shot in some parts of Madikeri and Bangalore.
5) Teamwork and the ability to work with a large number of people is important in this profession. How do you cope working within a large team? Why do you think teamwork is important?
It is not just Balu Nagendra or Aravind Kaushik, it’s the whole team of Huliraaya which made this movie. We made a team and worked as team in achieving this goal. We started building the team by creating a production team first, and then Ravi from Chennai joined us as the Cinematographer. We made a list of actors whom we could cast. Once the proper team was ready we seriously sat and started the work on the script and we listed down all the locations which would be needed. As the shooting started it was very easy for us to move forward as the team was very supportive and highly motivated. Even though the movie was made with a low budget we never felt it was a low budget movie because the team supported us very nicely. Therefore, the whole team deserves all the appreciation that the movie is getting or will get in the future.
6) Motivation is important within the acting profession. Who would you say is your motivator currently? How do you remain positive and focused within your role?
Obviously my family is a big motivation and they are the big support engine for me. Nowadays, most families won’t let their children into the acting career, but in my family they never questioned me about this, they have always encouraged me and motivated me.
7) Tell us something about your acting carrier?
I started acting long back with the acting group called as Benaka which was led by Nagabharana Sir. This group was founded by the late, B. V. Karanth. After my stint in Benaka, I was part of Ranga Shankara, a drama theatre where I acted in many plays.
8) How did you enter the film industry?
To be honest, this is a very interesting story. I was urgently searching for a loo near JC road, but couldn’t find a right place. I walked through the road and reached Kannada Bhavana inside the campus of Ravindra Kalakshetra, as I finished my duty and came out, there was a huge line of around 200-300 people. I asked the person at the end of the queue about the crowd, he said auditions are going on for a Girish Karnad film for the ones who have registered.
A chill ran down my spine as I heard the name Girish Karnad. At that moment, I decided I want to be a part of this film. The person also said that registrations had already closed on the previous day but he asked me to stand at the end of the line and give a try nevertheless. I was auditioned and got selected for the project “Chidambara Rahasya” directed by Girish Karnad. During that time I got to know K M Chaitanya, the director of Aa Dinagalu. He was working under Girish Karnad and he was the one who took my audition. That’s the first time I faced the camera. By the end of the project, I came to know it’s not just a film but it’s a tele-series of 6 episodes.
After the project was done, I thought this is it, but it was not, soon I got into real film industry when I met Duniya Soori and did a small role in Duniya. After this I acted in many plays and dramas. Then I got a call from Soori to act in movies like Inthi Ninna Preethiya, Junglee and Anna bond. I also acted in Thuglak with Aravind Kaushik which was the debut of Rakshit Shetty. I even worked in a movie titled Lights Camera Action directed by newcomer Gurudarshan in which I had one of the lead roles. Then I acted in Kaddipudi where I got a lot of fame and appreciation for my portrayal of the character in the movie. Then I met Aravind Kaushik after the long gap of 3-4 years and we decided to make a movie and now Huliraaya is ready
9) Who is your role model from within the film industry, and why?
I consider Dr. Rajkumar Sir as my role model. I used to watch a lot of his movies and liked the way he used to act and his style of dialogue delivery. I used to get goose bumps while watching his movies. I also consider Charlie Chaplin as a role model, because he used to make us laugh and cry without any dialogues which I think is a very hard thing to do. I think these great actors are role models not just for me, but a lot of other actors within the industry.
10) What are your future career aspirations? Ten years from now, where do you see yourself?
I would like to see myself doing good movies and challenging roles. I don’t want to restrict myself to a specific type of role or movie. If given a chance I would love to act in other language movies through which I can reach a larger number of audiences worldwide.
Huliraaya will be releasing in theaters soon, and the Creative Guyz team would like to wish Balu Nagendra and the whole team of Huliraaya all the very best for their movie.
