For Chethan D’Souza, composing fights is simply about getting the timing and punch right. Coming from coastal Karnataka, Chethan took an unusual path into films. He left his regular desk job as a software engineer in Bengaluru to build a full-time life around martial arts. He earned a karate black belt while still in school in Udupi, trained hard in gymnastics and calisthenics, and eventually entered Kannada cinema when director Pawan Kumar saw his short film and brought him on for U-Turn. With quiet, steady support from the late Puneeth Rajkumar, who helped him get his official stunt union card, Chethan went on to design key action scenes for Kannada films like Bagheera, UI, 45, Bhairathi Ranagal, and Max. His raw, fast fight work in Fahadh Faasil’s Malayalam hit Aavesham quickly caught attention across industries, prompting director Nelson Dilipkumar to reach out. What started as an offer to handle the action for the promo turned into Chethan running the entire show as the sole stunt master for Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2.
Stepping onto an 80-day shoot loaded with demanding set pieces, Chethan and Rajinikanth’s dynamic sparked organically. Discovering Chethan was from Bengaluru and originally from Mangaluru, the Superstar was delighted. Given that most of his action choreographers have historically hailed from Tamil Nadu, having someone from Karnataka direct his sequences created an instant bond, leading to frequent Kannada conversations between takes.
Directing stars who have ruled the screen for decades can easily make a technician nervous, but Chethan says their sheer simplicity put him at ease immediately. "When you work with someone of Rajini sir’s scale, you expect some distance, but he works with the honesty of someone doing their first film," Chethan shares. "He doesn’t sit inside his vanity van between setups; he stays right there on the floor, talking to the crew and keeping things easy. When other fighters got nervous standing opposite him, and I stepped in to tweak a move, Rajini sir would look at me and quietly ask, 'Did I do that right?' There is no ego there. When a fight master asks for a change, he gladly takes it."
That warm, open attitude was just as clear with Mithun Chakraborty, Shivarajkumar, and Jackie Shroff, among others. "My age is not even their experience in cinema, yet they walked onto the set ready to listen, treating me with immense warmth," Chethan adds. "Mithun da called me to his van just to ask why we hadn’t worked together before, and Jackie da calls regularly just to check on me. They give you full freedom to try new ideas without ever throwing their weight around."
Chethan says working with these screen icons gave him his biggest lesson: true stalwarts never throw their weight around on a set. "The minute the camera rolls, they simply listen and give their best like any newcomer," he signs off.
