Ganesh on Gaalipata 2: We were careful not to lose the brand created in Gaalipata

Ganesh has an emotional connection with Gaalipata. It was the Golden Star’s sixth project and his second collaboration with Yogaraj Bhat. This was his follow-up to the blockbuster Mungaru Male, and Gaalipata cemented his household name status. With Gaalipata 2 nearing release, Ganesh admits that the sequel brought back memories of the original. “The current weather in Bengaluru reminded me of being on the sets of Gaalipata in Kodachadri and Kudremukh. I’m still haunted by the locations, the shooting process, and the dialogues, which are still fresh in my mind. Gaalipata has been a special film in my career. It was a film that emotionally connected me with the audience, and we are confident that it will be the case with Gaalipata 2 as well,” shares Ganesh ahead of the film’s release on August 12.

Ganesh shares that comparisons with the original will be inevitable, and it is definitely a good sign. “The audience, who enter the theatres with the expectation of Gaalipata, will slowly shift their thoughts to
Gaalipata 2. I also felt the same thing when I watched the first copy,” he says.

This is the fourth combination of Yogaraj Bhat and Ganesh, who have previously worked in Mungaru Male, Gaalipata, and Mugulu Nage. Such collaborations are a rarity in Kannada cinema, and Ganesh attributes it to the offbeat thinking of the filmmaker. “Yogaraj Bhat thinks out of the box... Swalpa hatke. His story, and thought process are different, especially in the films I’ve been part of,” says Ganesh, who also delves into Yogaraj’s filmmaking style. “There definitely has been a change in his style of filmmaking. Today there is fun in his philosophical thoughts, and his lyrics in the Prayasaha song will haunt everybody. He is a fantastic writer, who has matured with time. But his crazy thoughts are still intact, and this habit of his will never die,” he says.  

But what about the changes that have been incorporated into him? “Actually... Nothing. I wish to stick to the basics that were adopted at the beginning of my career. I want to remain the same Ganesh that the audience have loved over these years. Of course, characters are what bring the changes in us. Amma mado chitrana yavagalu bore agola, and will never feel monotonous (The lemon rice prepared by a mother will never get bored, and monotonous). Likewise, the audience has showered constant love on me, and I like to retain the flavor despite changing the taste with the various characters.”

Ganesh, at one point in his career, had 7 hits in a row. Does he still understand the pulse of the audience? “People are exposed to different genres of cinema, and they are open to watching films made in various languages. It has only given us the business as well as the challenges to do better. Badalavaneye Badukina Moola (Change is the source of life). We can’t be stagnant. An actor is like water and should adapt according to the flow and paths of each film. We were careful not to lose the brand created in
Gaalipata,” he says.

The film with an ensemble cast has Ganesh sharing screen space with Diganth and Pawan Kumar. “I knew both of them very well, it was fun working with them,” says Ganesh, who makes a special mention of Anant Nag. “He is a legend, and working with him is fun, and around him, it is always a learning process,” says Ganesh, who sums up with a note on Gaalipata 2. “This is an entertaining film on friendship, and as Gani, I have a role to play in everybody’s life.”