Sunil Raoh: My role in Thurthu Nirgamana is relatable to all middle-class households

Director Hemanth Kumar’s Thurthu Nirgamana brings together two interesting actors Sunil Raoh and Raj B Shetty as part of the ensemble cast that also consists of Sudha Rani, Achyuth Kumar, Hitha Chandrashekar, and Samyuktha Hegde among others. The dark comedy marks the comeback of Sunil. The title of the film means Emergency Exit and has an interesting premise: what happens when a person is given a chance to relive the last few days of his life. In a conversation with CE ahead of the film’s release on June 24, the two actors open up about the film.

Sunil Raoh was last seen in Premism which was released in 2010. When asked about the long hiatus he explains, “I wanted to take a small break because I felt I was getting monotonous. I planned to get back to acting much earlier, but it was delayed further by 6 to 7 years. Finally, after 12 years, I am back. However, I did a web series called Loose Connection, which brought me back to the silver screen.”

Sunil notes the biggest change in the film industry that happened during his absence is the shift from film to digital cameras. “Earlier, with films, there was a lot of pressure on the actors and technicians because we worried about wasting film reels. So, we wouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 takes and we didn’t make too many mistakes. With the advancement in technology, people from different walks of life can come and follow their passion. Our director, Hemanth Kumar is one of the best examples. He’s an engineer, who has quit his job because he wanted to make films. On the flip side, I feel things are taken for granted today because of the ease in filmmaking.”

When probed about his role, Sunil reveals, “My role, Vikram, is relatable to all middle-class households. He is an intelligent guy with a laid-back attitude. He has no value for time and life, leads an aimless life, and is happy to be stuck in a rut. What happens when such a person faces an emergency and has no choice but to act? That’s the crux of this story,” says Sunil Raoh.

Talking about acting with a happening actor like Raj B Shetty, he says it was not intimidating though he has not been acting for a while. “I never felt insecure in my life, because I never had any great ambition of becoming a star. With whatever projects I have done, I built an image of a good enough actor and got the recognition of the people. Moreover, Raj is not one of the actors, who wants to go one up and stay ahead. We shared some intense scenes and our off-the-screen chemistry helped us do well. It was a learning experience for me, which translated very well on the screen. Whenever two actors come together for a film, there should be a sort of chemistry between them for the film to work. I admire co-artistes who are open to discussions as it makes my job interesting and easy,” he says.

Sunil was also in praise of the director Hemanth Kumar. “The director has made such a good film that we should all be proud. I’m happy that the Kannada industry is getting another important director and someone who can contribute to the industry’s growth.” Sunil will officially announce the next project after the release of Thurthu Nirgamana.
 

Though my role is small, its impact is big: Raj B Shetty

Raj B Shetty plays the role of a cab driver named Shivu. “It is the first script I got to read after Ondhu Motteya Kathe. It was the well-written character that caught my interest. Even though my role is small, the impact will be big,” Raj says.

Talking about working with Sunil, he says, “Working with him was a joy. Even though we both come from two different schools of cinema, we got along well on the sets. When you are committed to the film, you have to observe fellow actors, understand their rhythm, and adjust accordingly for the betterment of the film. That way Sunil supported my scenes and performance. I consider this as a good collaboration,” he says.

Calling it a sci-fi genre, Raj says that Thurthu Nirgama is a very apt title for the film and strongly recommends it for all individuals. “Every individual at one point wishes to travel back in time and correct something about their life. The title and the film are all about that,” he signs off.