A toss can leave a lot to chance. For Sutej Shetty, Toss gave her a chance to lead to a different kind of beginning, back to the languages and culture she grew up around, but at a distance. Born in Mangaluru and raised between Mumbai and the UK, she understood Kannada and Tulu while growing up, but speaking them fluently was another matter. The film gave her a reason to bridge that gap, she says ahead of the film's release on September 18.
“I wanted to reconnect with where I come from. I understood Kannada and Tulu, but I was not fluent in speaking them. So when this opportunity came, I wanted to prepare properly and be part of a story that connects me to my roots,” she says.
That preparation meant working extensively on pronunciation, phonetics and dialogue delivery. Her acting training helped, but she also had to understand the way people in the coastal region communicate and carry themselves.
“Understanding a language and speaking it naturally are two different things. I worked a lot on the pronunciation and dialogues because I did not want it to sound like I had simply learnt the lines. People here are very expressive and open in the way they communicate, and I had to understand those small differences.”
Toss is being shot in both Kannada and Tulu, with the scenes performed separately in the two languages. For the cast, that meant going through each sequence twice.
“It was almost like doing two films at the same time. We would perform the scene in Kannada and then do it again in Tulu. The words changed, but the emotion and performance had to remain consistent. It was challenging, but also a great learning experience.”
Arjun Dev, already an established name in Tulu cinema with 14 films to his credit, takes on a new responsibility with Toss. He directs the bilingual while also playing the lead. His father, Devdas Kapikad, a veteran of Tulu cinema, theatre and comedy, has written the film.
“Arjun was very supportive because he understood both sides, acting and directing. And having Devdas Kapikad sir write the film was very special. He knows the language and culture so well, and there was a lot to learn from that.”
For Sutej, the film is also a welcoming entry into Kannada cinema. Ganesh is presenting Toss, something she describes as a warm gesture.
“Having Golden Star Ganesh present the film feels like a warm welcome for me. It makes this beginning even more special, and I am grateful for that support.”
She is not looking at Toss as a one-film visit to regional cinema. Sutej wants to work across languages and industries, but admits that stories rooted in her own culture will always hold a special place.
“I don't want to restrict myself to one language or one place. I want to explore different kinds of cinema. But being able to work in Kannada and Tulu and have my own people watch me in these stories is something I really value," she concludes.