'Viewers will get to watch Jaggesh of the 1990s in Kalidasa Kannada Mestru'

Jaggesh has been receiving congratulatory messages from his fans as well as the film fraternity as he completes 38 years in the industry. Popularly known as Navarasa Nayaka, the actor says he cherishes all the moments spent in the celluloid world over the past three decades. This week also sees the release of his Kalidasa Kannada Mestru, and the actor reveals that the comedy-drama will take the audience back to the 1990s.

Kalidasa Kannada Mestru, directed by Kaviraj, throws light on the current education system. Jaggesh will be seen in the role of a Kannada teacher. Stressing that he is very fond of the language, the actor says, “Just the way a mother is very important in every person’s life, the same importance should be given to the mother tongue. Though we can speak in several languages, the pride that comes while speaking in our language is a different feeling, and we should make sure that it is taken forward through generations. That’s the only way we can worship our language.” Calling it one of the oldest languages existing, Jaggesh wants to request all the people of the state to rescue and restore Kannada.

Talking about his role in the film, Jaggesh says, “While I play a Kannada teacher, my wife (Meghana Gaonkar) in the film loves English. How a child is raised in such a family, and issues like societal problems, education system, and school closures are discussed in the film. The plot is based on a real-life incident, and Kaviraj has threaded serious issues with a touch of humour. The audience will get to watch a Jaggesh film in which the moral of the story comes in the last 10 minutes. A responsible message is given to the society, and people should watch the film with children.” 

I am like anti-hero to Kannada Mestru: Meghana Gaonkar

You may not get to watch Meghana Gaonkar regularly on the silver screen, but the actor asserts that she is committed to her job like any other heroine in the industry. “I don’t think this point is raised for heroes, whose films come out once in two to three years,” says Meghana, ahead of the release of her Kalidasa Kannada Mestru. “I have always been here, listening to scripts, meeting directors. I just wait to find a good story so that a good film is presented from my end to the audience,” she adds.

Meghana is happy to see a change in the Kannada film industry, with a new wave of filmmakers coming up with interesting scripts. “Different roles are being written for actors, and there is no shortage of work now. I feel it’s a good time to be in the industry,” she says, adding, “It was always felt in the industry that the shelf-life of a heroine is limited to five years, which is not true anymore. I am here to be an actor all my life. My inspiration comes from actors like Tabu. We don’t see her on the screen every six months, but when she appears, everybody knows that this is a good film. My goal is something on those lines,” she explains.

Meghana initially had apprehensions about playing a mother in Kaviraj’s film and worried that she would be typecast. “But I went back to the role Vidya Balan played in Tumhari Sulu, one she carried beautifully. She became my inspiration for this role in Kalidasa Kannada Mestru, and I took it up as a challenge,” she says.

Kalidasa Kannada Mestru will see Meghana living in the world of English and leading a sophisticated life. “I am like the anti-hero to the Kannada Mestru, and bring about the twist in the film,” she says about the film, which has music by Gurukiran and camerawork by Gundlupet Suresh.