Rishab Shetty: I like to explore all genres, except horror

Rishab Shetty is a personality who becomes the face of the film he is part of irrespective of the responsibility he takes up. In his new film, Harikathe Alla Girikathe, directed by Karan Ananth and Anirudh Mahesh, he plays the lead, apart from co-producing the film along with Sandesh Production.

Rishab, however, feels that films are always about teamwork. “I don’t indulge myself in every department of filmmaking, but I took responsibilities whenever it is necessary because the film is executed under our production house, Rishab Shetty Films. Producer Sandesh Nagaraj trusted my presence in the film a lot but that added to the pressure on me at times. At the end of the day, all of us work towards delivering a good film.”

Asked if the young director duo relied on his inputs, Rishab says, “I just gave my ideas, whenever there was scope for improvement. It wasn’t something abnormal, it was very organic.”

Rishab shares that the support of his team enabled him to just focus on the acting front in HKGK. “The process was very easy. We had Pramod Shetty along with Sandesh Nagaraj handling the production responsibilities. So my job was to wait for my shot. Not doing much behind the camera was initially boring for me, but I learnt to have fun just as an actor.”

Interestingly Rishab plays a director in HKGK, and he found the struggles of the character to be very relatable. “I got reminded of the days when I met people seeking opportunities, the aspirations I had for my first film, my helpful friends, and the obstacles. I believe every struggling director out there will find the character relatable,” he says.

Harikathe Alla Girikathe is a non-linear comedy-drama and this makes the film unique for Rishab. “The film consists of so many characters and takes the audience on a roller coaster ride. The entire film is filled with humour, and I am curious how people will receive our film,” he says, adding, “Though comedies seem easy to make, it is a difficult genre to shoot.” Rishab shares that the thirst to explore genres keeps driving him forward. “I love to explore all kinds of genres, except horror films. I don’t like watching horror films, so I won’t make a film belonging to that genre,” he says.