After the critically-acclaimed response to director and actor Raj B Shetty’s Ondu Moteyya Kathe, he is now gearing up for the release of Ammachi Yemba Nenapu in which he faces the camera while playing a negative shade to a villanious character. “Don’t expect to see me in a typical villain’s role, someone who will bash up the hero or plot murders. I can never imagine playing such a character,” laughs Raj, who says that Ammachi Yemba.. traces about harassment of women. Set in the 70s and 80s, the film focusses on a patriarchal figure who disapproves the progress of women. “The character is negative in thought, not in action,” Raj explains.
The actor says that such figures are common in every household — the ones who restrict women’s actions, including her behaviour and the style of dressing. “Unfortunately, society doesn’t consider such characters as villains, which, I feel, is sad. But, its high time that people with such attitude are called villains,” he says.
The film comes at a time when the #MeToo movement has gained momentum in the country. “When I was born, my mother was 16. As I was growing up, I often saw how certain people in the neighbourhood used to look at her, and talk about her. I’ve now come to realise that no place is safe for women, including her own house,” Raj says, adding, “With the #Metoo movement, its good to see people are coming out and speaking up. If harassement has to stop, people have to continue speaking up. This film will highlight such issues, he says.
Ammachi... which stars Vijayanti V Adiga, Radhakrishna Urala K and Diya Palakkal also brings to the fore a lesser-used language Kundapura. Previously Mangaluru Kannada too faced the same situation. “Ulidavaru Kandante had the Mangaluru dialect, which was later used in Ondu Motteya Kathe and Rishab Shetty’s Sa.Hi.Pra Shale.... It is now a popular dialect used in cinemas. Likewise, every langauge should be given regional importance,” he says.
What was it like to execute another director’s vision? “Cinema is all about team work and we should completely believe the people you work with. Champa P Shetty’s film is based on Vaidehi’s three short stories. With her experience of 25 years, and theatre background, I only felt that I should go by the director’s vision. Though I suggested a few ideas, ultimately, I implemented whatever Champa wanted,” he says.
In today’s film scenario, not many are kicked about novel-based films, the reason being they get less attraction compared to commercial entertainers. “Take the instance of Ammachi Yemmba Nenapu...the trailer of this film, which released a few days ago, hit 2 lakh views. This is a huge deal for a novel-based film. It simply means that as an actor or technician, it is our responsibility to select projects, which are honest. If I had taken up a commercial project after Ondu Motteya Kathe, I would have changed the audience’s impression about me,” he says, adding, “The quality of films cannot be decided based on the budget. There is nothing ‘a ` 20 crore film’ will be a good one.”