Here is how Rishi wants to make productive use of lockdown period

The lockdown period has allowed actor Rishi to listen to as many scripts as possible. He has been listening to stories on a daily basis.

“I usually get a narration over the phone, but I prefer a written script, a brief synopsis, which has been coming to my inbox from various directors every day. Since I have been doing this even before the lockdown, I haven’t kept a count of the number of scripts I have gone through,” he says, adding, “Out of these, I have found a couple of subjects to be interesting, and they need to be developed further. Once I am convinced with the entire story, I plan to take up these projects.”

The Kavaludaari hero is looking forward to the release of Sakalakala Vallabha. He will follow this with Islahuddin’s Flip Flop. Rishi was busy shooting for Ramana Avatara before the COVID-19 outbreak happened.

The actor has also given the green signal to a script by director Mohan Singh for a project backed by director-producer Shashankh, with story written by director Yogaraj Bhat. However, he has now decided to reschedule the shooting to a later date. “Since I don’t have clarity on the release dates of my current two films, as well the shooting schedule of Ramana Avatara, I felt it doesn’t make sense to shoot the new film, and keep it ready without releasing it. The shooting schedule of Mohan Singh’s directorial will be decided once the lockdown gets over,” he says.

Meanwhile, Rishi continues to keep himself busy with sifting through new scripts. According to him, once the shoots resume, he won't be able to give this kind of time to the directors who approach him. “This lockdown has also made me realise that there are some promising filmmakers out there, with whom I want to work, and I am using this time to have discussions with them,” he says.

This apart, Rishi is also using looking at ways to learn new things. “This is a suitable time to know what I can add to my skill set, and explore my abilities,” says the actor, revealing that he was never an avid movie watcher but now he watches a film each day. “It's a great learning experience to see others’ work. I am hoping to make this lockdown period as productive as possible.”