'This is my tribute to my sister'

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Bengaluru: Journalist-film director Indrajit Lankesh who returns to direction launching his son Samarjit has surprised everyone by naming the film Gauri.

Speaking to S Shyam Prasad, he reveals why it is named after his late sister who was assassinated in 2017.

'Gauri' was launched on August 31 and shooting for the film is scheduled to start on September 3 in Chikkamagaluru.

Q. The title is surprising but the tagline that says ‘inspired by a true story’ is shocking. What has this film got to do with Gauri Lankesh?

A: Gauri was my elder sister. This film is my tribute to her; I am dedicating this film to her in her memory. As for the tagline, I will not say anything till the film is complete.

But let me remind you of the universal truth about films. It is a medium for imagination. Films are made in a sea of imagination. We need to sustain some curiosity about it and hence the tagline.

Q. Is Samarjit trained for a film career?

A. After his XII, he picked theatre studies. It was his personal choice though he had secured 95% marks and had offers in universities abroad.

Theatre studies in Christ University are a three-year practical course that involves script readings, performing plays and stage productions. Then he went to the New York Film Academy for a workshop and acted in a film there.

One of Sridevi’s daughters was his classmate there. He returned to Bengaluru to train in theatre and performed in Ranga Shankara too. He worked as an assistant director under Yogaraj Bhat in Karadi and Karataka Damanaka.

He had offers for a Netflix film and a musical with a popular Kannada director. It was again his choice that he did not want to debut in those. I narrated a story to him which he liked and thus we are here.

He has also undergone fights and stunts training under Chetan D’souza, dance under Murali master and physical training under Bharat Gowda. He has prepared himself for the task on hand.

Q. You are introducing the third generation of your family into films. The legacy of Lankesh is being taken forward.

A. Every match is a new challenge; every innings is a new one. Of course the legacy of Lankesh is behind us. But this is a medium where you have to prove your own mettle.

It is not like taking over your father’s business.

Q. But the name does open doors and provides opportunities.

A. Such opportunities are risky and dangerous. The Lankesh legacy is very different. It is a creative legacy. In music, arts and cinema, legacy has to prove with your original work. Nobody will come and blow your trumpet.

Q. How much pressure do you carry as a father?

A. Too much. I have everything to lose and nothing to gain. I am already a director, already a journalist and in the last lap of my life and have to prove myself again. This is a risky proposition.