'In Mugulu Nage, we had to grow up...'

Ganesh talks about working with Yogaraj Bhat after ten years and how they have both matured as artiste and director over the years
'In Mugulu Nage, we had to grow up...'

The first time Yogaraj Bhat and Ganesh worked together in Mungaru Male, both of them unleashed the romance of rains.and followed it with Gaalipata. Now, the two are to work the charm of a smile in their third outing, in Mugulu Nage, which also traces the journey of love. With the film also set to release this week, CE chats with actor Ganesh on his latest movie and the chemistry he shares with the director.

“This is film is an exploration of true love from different angles, and it varies with different situations,” says Ganesh. “Every love will not see a happy ending and it may not end in a tragedy too. Love is sweet pain, but it can be enlightening. Romances are evergreen because everyday someone is falling in love with another somewhere.”

The actor whose smile wins over the audience says that he never knew that it had such an effect till people told him so. “Bhatru noticed that I had a good smile and helped me use it to convey fun, love and other emotions,” says the actor. “Smiling even while is pain is a joy and story captures that well. There are times, when we want to laugh but can’t and there are times we want to cry out but end up grinning... this is how I would define Mugulu Nage,” says Ganesh, who personally like to live for the moment and be happy every day. “I don’t carry emotional baggage,” he says and adds,  “If I need to tell something to someone, I do it then and there. I don’t believe in letting it fester. My films number 32, which is also my age, I have learnt that everything passes. I want to be happy for the moment and keep smiling, I have always been like that.”

Moviegoers have not forgotten the popular ‘heart antharalla, adakke kai haaki para para anta kerkondu bittidini kanri' dialogue delivered by Ganesh in Mungaru Male, and one can expect a similar act in Mugulu Nage. The dialogue this time “Thabgondaga bitang ayithu, bitaga thabgondang ayithu” was released through a trailer recently, and it being quoted often by fans.  “Though Bhatru and I try not to repeat elements in every film, there are certain things people have come to expect such as these dialogues. It was written by Bhatru and I have tried to perfect it with my delivery,” Ganesh says.

The two seem to share a chemistry that results in hits.  Ganesh says that they connect easily, adding, “It is like iCloud, it stores your memories. We are like-minded and we seem to agree what works and what does not, or what is right and wrong. Bhatru was already a mature director when he did Mungaru Male, and he has only bettered over the years. Now he leans more towards subtlely, it had to happen because both of us fathers to two kids each.” Ganesh says that both of them strive for the betterment of cinema. “I know his pulse and he knows mine. The easiest part of doing a Bhatru film is delivering the dialogues because they sound so natural, what is tough is portraying the character... his characters are never the usual,” says the actor.

Ganesh found it challenging, in this movie, to convey grief not through crying but with a smile. “I didn’t have any reference to play this character, it was entirely Bhatru’s imagination and in the end it worked out well,” says Ganesh. “My most emotional scene on screen was having to cry and laugh together, I did by regulating my breathing... it was a challenge and the best part of Mugulu Nage,” he says.

With Mugulu Nage, Ganesh has stepped out of regular formulaic films and says that handling four heroines on screen was a cake walk. “According to Bhatru there are three and a half heroines as Amulya plays a guest appreance,” he chuckles.

The initial plan was for Ganesh and Yogaraj Bhat to produce the film, then the project caught the attention of Syed Salaam and Jack Manju who then stepped up as producer and distributor. “Bhatru and I was joining hands after 10 years and this itself drew a larger investment,” says the actor. “Fortunately, we had in people like Salaam and Jack Manju who are equally passionate about the project. In fact Salaam never even asked for a script reading because he believed in us. We have done justice to that trust...,” he adds.

Ganesh signs off saying, “Mugulu Nage will be a fresh experience for cinema lovers, just what we delivered as newcomers.”

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