'If Anant Nag didn't agree, Weekend would never have been made'

Shringeri Suresh’s directorial, Weekend, starring Anant Nag in a special role, explores the lives of the working class. “I am waiting for the verdict of the audience,” says the director, who managed to convince the senior actor to play a pivotal role in his film. 

Weekend, which features newcomers, including hero Milind (producer Manjunath's son) and heroine Sanjana Burli, will release this Friday. “Anant Nag is my trump card. If he had not agreed, I wouldn’t have done this film at all. Today, if at all the film is releasing in more than 100 theatres, it is only because of the veteran actor. I had approached him saying that I am doing a film about techies and their weekend plans, and he liked his character and the script,” says Suresh. 

“Milind, who had just finished his engineering, was coming to watch the auditions that were taking place at the producer’s office. I just asked if he wanted to audition, and he said ‘yes’. That’s how we finalised our film’s hero. Even Milind’s father was not aware that he would be cast in the film,” says Suresh, who has worked as a co-director in over 90 films, and has associated with Ravichandran and Upendra. 

With music by Manoj and cinematography by Sashi, Weekend will be Suresh's fourth outing as the director. “I mostly look to work with newcomers since I have figured out how to work with them,” he says.