‘Direction is now my hobby’ 

Ravi Basrur is a man who enjoys wearing several hats. While he is known to the industry prominently as a music director, he is also carving his niche as a feature film director. In a conversation with CE, Ravi, however spills the beans on how he is basically a sculptor. Stumped? Well, we were too. His works have been have displayed in Bengaluru several times.
 
As far his debut in tinsel town goes, Ravi tell us that he started off as a dance choreographer, but destiny had other plans for him, and he is now busy scoring music for various movies. He is now quietly also aiming to make his mark as a director. After experimenting on his skills with two brilliant films made in Kundapura language, he now ventures into Kannada with Kataka. “Even I am clueless on how I ended up being a music director,” says Ravi.

He, however, adds that being a director was an intentional move. “I wanted to put across the right information through cinema,” he says confessing that his journey so far has been a cascade of surprises. “While music is my profession, direction has now become my hobby and I would want to helm one good film every year,” he says.

Several preparations were done before the making of Kataka, which has been listed as one of the most anticipated films of 2017 on IMDB.  The film, produced by NS Rajkumar has already garnered quite a bit of appreciation in the industry before it hits theatres this week. Actors Puneeth Rajkumar, Yash, and director Santhosh Ananddram have all watched the movie before the release and are all praises for it. “I don’t have words to express, but the appreciation from various people has only been an encouragement. Apart from celebrities, I have shown Kataka to 100 cinegoers such as auto drivers and working class men. After receiving a feedback from then, I even reshot  a few scenes,” says Ravi.

He intends to take the film across the globe, and has hence dubbed it in 16 languages, including English. “There is abundant talent in Karnataka. I want to stress that Kannada industry makes the highest number of films in the South Indian film industry. Most of the technicians hired are from here, and we are giving a lot of jobs to other regions. But still there is feeling of emptiness. We are not getting that kind of recognition that other industries get,” he says. This has resulted in a sense of competition among those in the industry, he adds. “So, we have decided to approach Hollywood directly and get their attention. I am glad that Kataka will be the first Kannada film to be dubbed in English language and soon we will be releasing the track in English version,” says Ravi.

Kataka, though categorised as belonging to the horror-thriller genre, the second half of the film is an emotional one, Ravi tells us. “Feelings have no language and that is brought out in the second half,” says the director, whose film features child artiste Shlagha Saligrama playing the lead. “She was picked through auditions and is a very confident child in front of the screen.”

Ravi also admits that he is a big fan of director Prashant Neel’s work, whom he was associated with in Ugramm and now KGF. He likes Puneeth Rajkumar’s simplicity and Yash’s dedication towards his work. “Cinema has become a habit and the learning process continues when you meet new people every day,” he signs off.