Aditya: Stories that work in Korea won’t work in Karnataka

Aditya prefers to let his work do the talking. The actor is back in focus with his latest film, Munduverada Adhyaya, directed by Balu Chandrashekar, which is slated for release this Friday. “This film was supposed to be released last year, but got pushed due to the pandemic. Somehow we managed to get the same date (March 19) this year,” says Aditya, adding that the audience will see more of him in the coming days.

“I plan to celebrate cinema, and people will see more of my work. After Mundaverada Adhyaya, I have two more films on floors — director S Narayan’s film D and an action commercial entertainer by Om Prakash Rao, which will also be out this year,” says Aditya, who wants to challenge himself as an actor and do things that excite him. “People love my work and the trailer of my latest film is an example. Those who have watched it are eagerly waiting to watch it in theatres.”

Aditya tells us he picked Munduverada Adhyaya for story, and its unpredictable climax. Interestingly, the film does not have a duet, romance, or even a heroine.“This is an experimental film, and a subject I am attempting for the first time. It follows the format of a Hollywood movie and is an edge-of-a-seat thriller,” says Aditya, adding, “It makes a difference to me to work on such projects. For the audience too, this will be something new to watch on screen.”

Yet again, Aditya will be seen playing an investigative officer, a role in which he has been appreciated previously. “The point is that I have not been offered a good love story. People liked me as Sweety, but nothing interesting came after that. On the other hand, a few makers still want me to portray the character I did in Deadly Soma. Even 16 years after its release, it’s still relevant,” he says, adding, “That is a notion I want to break. I am avoiding such projects. I am game to play a big don as long as it is a well-handled script.” Having said that, he is ready to do run-of-the-mill characters too as he knows he can’t expect performance-oriented scripts coming his way each time.

Talking about first-time director Balu, Aditya says, “This is the first time I am working with a debutant, but he didn’t come across as a newcomer. Since he had worked under a director like Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, he knew what he wanted.”

He points out that direction is considered very easy today, but not many are willing to think a script through. “I have come across a few directors with no previous experience, who watch a Korean film and try to adapt that story here. Those stories might work in Korea, but not in Karnataka,” he says.

Going forward, Aditya wants to work with directors who dare to think differently. “Yogaraj Bhat, Suri, Prashanth Neel, Dinakar Thoogudeepa and Rishab Shetty,” he rattles off the list of filmmakers in his wishlist.