Chef-turned-director tries hand at new recipe

After working as associate director, this former chef has turned his attention to independent filmmaking; he’s whipping up his directorial debut titled Swartharatna
Chef-turned-director tries hand at new recipe

Hoping to wield the camera with the same ease that he whips up a meal, chef Ashwin Kodange is attempting a new recipe. Except that this time, it’s out of the kitchen.

In the last eight years, ever since he turned his attention to filmmaking, Ashwin has been working on direction and he is now busy with his first feature film Swartharatna, “I started off as an assistant director in 1st Rank Raju and Raju Kannada medium. After working in a Hindi project, The Perfect Girl and a Telugu film, and writing dialogues and lyrics for a few songs in both Kannada and Hindi, I now turn independent director with Swartharatna,’’ says the award-winning chef who has worked with star hotels. He even decided to shut his restaurant Grills -N-Oodles to live his dream of becoming a filmmaker.

Swartharatna, made under Rauuning Horse Creations, features Adarsh Gunduraj and Ishita Varsha (from TV serial Agni Sakshi) in the lead, and is supported by Sadhu Kokila, Ramesh Bhat, Sarigama Viji, Mandeep Rai, Umesh, Ramachandra Kodange, Radha Ramchandra, Sapna Raj, Sneha Singh in prominent roles. “I chose a romcom as my first film because I thought that a film that evokes laughter would make for a film with positive vibes. It’s suitable for all ages,” he says.

The first-time director believes that every person who falls in love and promises to do anything for his lover, is selfish. “While it has been believed that love is all about giving and being selfless, our protagonist opposes the thought. Love is blind and a person in love is (mostly) dumb. As luck would have it, he is attracted to a girl, who is a tomboy and firmly believes that they are made for each-other. This brings in various comic, romantic and emotional episodes in his life,” he says.

The audio of the film -- with music by BJ Bharath and featuring the voices of Vijay Prakash, Armaan Malik, Chetan Naik and Mohan Krishan -- has been released. The film’s lyrics have been penned by Jayanth Kaikini and Ashwin Kodange himself. While Giri Mahesh is at the edit desk, the cinematography is by Rausham Kumar Jha.

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