Rakshit Shetty: I am ready to lock myself up until I finish the script of Punyakoti

The lockdown might have come as a bane for many, but it has brought some positive results for Rakshit Shetty, who is using this time to complete the script of Punyakoti.

The actor, who was shooting for director Kiranraj’s debut, 777 Charlie, has also taken up Hemanth M Rao’s next, Sapta Sagaradaache Yello, apart from Richie and Punyakoti. “I did watch a few films and have been reading a lot of books. However, my focus has only been on writing and rewriting, and the exciting part is that I have finally cracked the plot and the structure of the film. I have completed around 40 pages and have 50 more pages to go through. I am enjoying it. I am ready to lock myself in, until I finish the script of Punyakoti,” says the writer-director, adding that the team is also in the last phase of the scriptwriting for Richie, which will be directed by PA Rahul.

Rakshit is also happy to get back to scriptwriting that he used to do in his early years. “I would enjoy writing all alone. Writing a script from the start to the end and in one flow is a different experience, something I went through before I did Simple Agi Ondh Love Story. There were times I would stay with my friends, who would go to work from morning till evening, and I would stay at home all day. It was at that time I wrote Ulidavaru Kandanthe, and the first draft of Kirik Party and Avane Srimannarayana. After that, I haven’t had the time to get into such a headspace. I am experiencing it all over again,” says Rakshit, adding, “The story of Punyakoti is real-intense. It has a lot of layers and is not as simple as the stuff I wrote when I was an amateur. But it has put me in a different thought process for sure,” he says.

For a creative person, there is always something new to learn, and Rakshit Shetty is always one step ahead when it comes to exploring something afresh. “There was a time when I didn’t know the nuances of writing. Even though I read a lot of books on writing, I would just write with a flow without realising the structure. My writing would be more or less like describing a film. With experience, I have got into an organic process with regard to structuring the film. I make sure it fits inside the formula, and it has now become a case of objective as well as subjective writing,” says Rakshit.

Ask him what’s in store and Rakshit, who always wants to bring something out-of-the-box to the silver screen, says that he believes in doing a project only if he is sufficiently excited about it. “For people to enjoy my work, I need to enjoy it first. I try to explore a unique subject, which I know people will like. I have a set of audience who think like me. I have never gone by the 'hit formula' and delivered something which people have seen in earlier films,” he says.

The film 777 Charlie requires the team to shoot in North India for 15 days, and rest of the portions in Mysuru. “I don’t think the locations can be changed, as the script demands these places. We have no choice but to wait until we get permission for the shoot. I will be taking up Hemanth’s project only after I am done with 777 Charlie,” he signs off.