'Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe': film's story is simple & rare

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Bengaluru: Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe, starring Vinay Rajkumar and directed by ‘Simple’ Suni is gearing up for release on February 8.

The film team is in full swing promoting the film with the film’s songs and trailer. a new song has been released, featuring a simple yet soulful Sufi style.

Sandalwood’s Queen Bee Ramya, lent support to the film releasing the latest song from the film’s album.

Along with Vinay, the film features Mallika Singh and Swatishtha Krishnan as the female leads and Raghavendra Rajkumar, Sadhu Kokila and Rajesh in important roles.

Suni spoke to S Shyam Prasad about the film and why it is a must-watch for cinephiles.

Q. Was this title a deliberate attempt to get comparisons you’re your first film Simpleag Ond Love Story?

A. Of course, I was in love with this title. In fact, any love/romance film can be named ‘Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe ’. This oneline story was written by Prasanna and as we began developing the script there emerged many surprising twists.

Prasanna said that it was not only a simple story but also rare. So in the end, while we named the film ‘sarala’ (simple), we played on it and struck the word in the posters and mentioned ‘virala’ (rare).

When you watch the film, you realize that it is a simple story that has been twisted to provide entertainment.

Q. The film boasts of eight songs and three more musical bits. What made you choose a musical?

A. The leading man in the film is named Athishay and he is an aspiring musician who is working for Sadhu Kokila (real-life musician).

One of the leading ladies is a singer; a north Indian who has won a singing competition in Kannada. So it was natural that the film is a musical.

Our composer Veer Samarth has proved himself from his very first film Kaaranji. In this film, he has experimented with various genres including Bhakti, Rap, Sufi and Ghazal.

There is also a bit where no musical instruments are used.

Q. What have been the challenges making this movie?

A. We had made lots of preparations before we started shooting. Vinay sir even practiced the dialogues before-hand. So there were no big challenges.

Vinay sir was adept at riding motor bikes but he had to ride a Chethak with hand gears which was a little challenging for him in the beginning. He also learnt to play the piano.

Around 20 percent of the movie was shot candidly in Mumbai and Rajasthan. This was the most challenging part while shooting.

Q. How did the main characters of this film develop in your mind?

A. The leading man is a youth from Chickpet area of Bengaluru. So he is just a face in the crowd. He should be able to look like a common man.

While discussing, the team came to the conclusion that Vinay sir can keep aside his star status easily and act like a commoner. He can hide his stardom.

One of the heroines is a north Indian character and Mallika Singh fit the bill.

Q. Has Vinay fulfilled the goals for the character you set?

A. He has put in loads of effort. We experimented on his looks and he was game. His efforts can be seen in the manner he prepared to play a college student and learnt to drive a geared scooter and play the piano just for the role.

He also spent a great deal of effort perfecting the dialogue delivery for this character.

Q. Have you fulfilled your goals as a director in the last five years? What are your plans for the next five?

A. To be frank, the last five years have not been great for my films. Hopefully, I will get back to winning ways with this film.

There are more big films coming up in the next five years including Manamohaka. A lot depends on the result of Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe.