With Kismat, I decided to go with the flow: Vijay Raghavendra

The actor, who rose to fame as a child artiste, and won National and State awards, decided to don the director’s hat in 2015 for the film
With Kismat, I decided to go with the flow: Vijay Raghavendra

Kismat is all about time,” the film's director, Vijay Raghavendra, tells us. Incidentally, it has taken Vijay three years to bring this film out. The work on it, which started in 2015, was completed only recently. “Right from the beginning, I never believed in planning and just went with the flow. Even though I completed shooting, my music director Rajesh Murugesan fell ill and so it took time to complete,” he says.

Vijay, who rose to fame as a child artiste, and won National and State awards, decided to don the director’s hat for Kismat. “Actually, this wasn’t a long-pending idea. When I came out of Bigg Boss house in 2013, I was under the illusion that I was a star, and nobody could stop me. But I had to wait to get good characters. With Bigg Boss, I became closer to the people and had a better connection with them. Despite this, I didn’t get the kind of opportunity I was expecting,” he says.

That is when the actor decided to helm his own film. “I picked up a subject and decided to produce the film. And instead of bringing any other director on board, I decided to take on that responsibility despite hardly having any experience in that field. I had attended story discussions previously, and this helped me in directing the project,” says Vijay, who in addition to directing and acting in the film, has also sung a song and penned lyrics for two tracks.

Kismat has been inspired by the Malayalam-Tamil bilingual, Neram, starring Nivin Pauly, but Vijay doesn’t want to be bogged down by comparisons. “This is my first attempt, and I don’t want to be compared to anyone. Personally, I am satisfied with the job we have done as a team,” says the filmmaker, who gives due credit to Alphonse Puthren, the writer and director of the original film.

Vijay says the character he plays in the film is close to his heart. “Life is all about time. We can’t reverse a second of it. This film is based on that and it's relevant to all age groups.”  He says doubling as the director was a whole new experience. “As a director, I had to have a larger vision and view the film from the perspective of the entire team, which in itself was an amazing learning experience.”  

The actor-director feels the Kannada film industry has grown to a point where anyone can become anything. “At this point in my career, I just want to work sincerely and transform myself according to the demands.”

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