Who has not heard of the legend of Punyakoti, the tale about the honest cow and the hungry tiger? Now, reimagining the moral story on a big canvas is actor-director Rakshit Shetty. This will be his second directorial venture after Ulidavaru Kandante, for which he is writing the story himself. Apparently, the concept got him so excited that it became his WhatsApp DP and it made way for the announcement of Punyakoti by his friends during Deepavali.
City Express caught up with this multifaceted actor over a telephonic conversation about his next favourite project when he said that a one-line story is ready and he has started writing the dialogues. “The whole script is in my mind, and it is just a matter of putting it on paper,” he says.
Rakshit told us how he arrived at the idea of retelling the legandary tale of Punyakoti in as many languages as possible.
‘Always thought something like GoT should happen in Kannada’
There are 20-30 concepts in Rakshit’s mind, which he wants to convert into a film and what’s keeping him excited is the Punyakoti script. “Currently I am shooting for Avane Srimannarayana, and each frame makes me think I wanted to do something bigger than my previous project. And a subject like Punyakoti was the best option for me. And the thought of it excited me in many ways. Especially when you watch a series like Game of Thrones, I have always thought that something like this should happen in Kannada as well,” he says.
A LEGENDARY TALE RETOLD
Punyakoti is a story that has become a legend among all of us, Rakshit says. “Specially, every Kannadiga has at least turned 8 to 9 pages reading this tale in their school days. In fact, it was one song we were happy to learn and would wait, when our teachers would come and ask us to recite it. The whole class singing that in the form of a song and in one tune is soothing to your ears. It’s more or less like an anthem in schools even
today. I consider Punyakoti’s tale a legend, which I plan to retell,” he says.
GIVING HUMAN FACE TO PUNYAKOTI
Personally for Rakshit, it is about the childhood memories which he wants to put on canvas. “That childhood feeling that I had towards this song — Punyakoti — if I listen to the music of this legendary tale in a different form with complete orchestra, making it a cinema, the whole thing excites me a lot,” he says.
Rakshit adds Punyakoti is a very simple story about a cow and tiger and he plans to add a lot of elements to it. “Giving a human form to the Punyakoti story, it has to be creatively satisfying and at the same time, commercially viable. And when a human comes into the picture, there can be many facets to the story,” he says.
‘MY STORY OF PUNYAKOTI WILL GO BACK TO ANCIENT TIME’
The actor-director always desired to tell a story in a big form. “Giving a human face to Punyakoti, how do I relate to the cow and tiger? That’s where I can keep building this story. My idea is to bring it out in a larger picture,” says Rakshit, who wants to base the story in ancient times, but not specific with the time. It can be before Ramayana and Mahabharata. Creatively, I have a lot of freedom. It also gives me an opportunity to create the palace, the costumes, the way they talk and more,” he says.
HUGE FAN OF MYTHOLOGY
Rakshit, who is writing about Punyakoti, says that he is a huge fan of mythology. “I have not missed any of Rajkumar’s films and movies related to mythology. The whole idea of taking the audience to another world which none of us have seen, is fun. We have done that quite a bit in Avane Srimnanayarana, the film I am currently shooting - it can be related to the present. Punyakoti will be a complete fantasy world. It will be our imagination,” he says.
‘IT’S A GLOBAL FILM, BUT NOT THINKING OF BUDGET RIGHT NOW’
Rakshit, who is in the scripting stage, is not thinking about the film’s budget. “From my end, it is going to be an epic. Either way, I am not thinking of doing it on a small budget. This is a story, you can do on a budget of Rs 15 crore, Rs 30 crore, Rs 100 crore or even Rs 200 crore. Sometimes even if the story doesn’t require that budget, the canvas requires it. The same story can be told in different ways. While writing, I want to completely build my imagination and I don’t want to write keeping the budget in mind. Thinking of a budget while in the writing stage kills the imagination,” says Rakshit
Although he wants Punyakoti to be recognised as a Kannada film, given a budget, Rakshit wants it in two languages and dub it in other languages. “If the film is good, there is a possibility of taking the film across the globe,” says the actor-director, who is yet to decide whether it will be done under Paramvah Studios.
“My investors have stakes in the company and I want to know if they are interested in investing in this film. Having said that, I will give first preference to Paramvah. I also have my friends, who want to invest in it. We have a plan, and it is just a matter of putting it in place. Once the script is ready, I will work out on strategy and the budget required,” he says.
RAKSHIT CITES KGF AS A GOOD EXAMPLE
Rakshit, the actor, writer of Avane Srimnanayarana (ASN) to take in five languages. He cites the example of KGF, and how it is a good development for Kannada industry. “The trailer of KGF is making a big buzz all over the country, which is a good strategy. The film has set a very good platform and they are doing an amazing job. This is the right time to tap and extend our Kannada market.
It is just that we have to be confident while making the film in such a big canvas that people from other languages watch it,” says Rakshit, who has completed 80 per cent of the shoot for ASN. “I just have two pending schedules. We thought when the script has the potential, why not take this to as many people as possible? We are working on strategies of releasing it in other languages too,” he says.