Sakkare has been in the news for quite sometime. Its producers have been trying to release the film since last month but couldn’t due to a variety of reasons. Now the film will finally see the light of day on October 18.
Abhay Simha, who has directed the film, feels the release date of a film in today’s industry is a much calculated decision and not a matter of whim and fancy. He says, “In a year, 100 to 130 Kannada films release, out of which, at least one or two films, a month, feature a star hero. There is so much being put out for the audiences that it’s become confusing for them to decide on which film to watch. In such conditions, we have to plan our release date carefully. For a director, it’s become equally important to ensure a profitable release. We are now in the festival season and with Sakkare being a clean family-oriented film, I am eager that families venture out to see it.”
Sakkare, a rom-com, stars Ganesh and Deepa Sannidhi. It is Abhay’s third film, a change after the serious subject he dealt with in Shikari. “There is no particular reason (for the change). Each time I make a film, it is the script that I am thrilled by first. I had written about seven to eight stories and of them all I felt that Sakkare was the strongest story which happened to be about love. When I approached the producers (B Suresh and Shylaja Nag) and narrated quite a few scripts to them, they also liked this particular one and that’s why we went ahead with it,” he says.
Romantic comedies are proving to be a popular genre with Kannada directors. Is Abhay consciously playing safe by following the trend? “Out of 100 films today, 95 movies are based on love. It’s natural that I pick one too. I don’t believe in doing movies with violence and double meaning dialogues as it doesn’t suit my sensibilities. When I write scripts, I stay within my comfort zone,” he says, confident that Sakkare is different from other love stories seen on screen. “Sakkare means sweet. This is a light-hearted love story with humour that is not crass. It is healthy entertainment. At the same time, the films talks about the day-to-day difficulties people face,” he adds.
One wonders why Abhay, who directed Mammootty in Shikari, cast Ganesh in the new film. “They are huge stars in their own right. Ganesh and I have worked under the same banner in different films and it was comfortable for both of us. Of course, I cast him in Sakkare only because he fit the bill,” he says.
Abhay was impressed by Deepa Sannidhi’s work in Paramathama and so cast her too. Sakkare also features Ananth Nag and Vinaya Prasad.
The film’s highlight is its narration which was a challenge for Abhay. He says, “I have two dimensions to the story. One is the hero’s point of view and the other is the heroine’s. The scenes where I had to connect both were very tricky to handle and I had to achieve it without confusing the audience,” he says.
It’s things like this and the slow process of filmmaking that Abhay enjoys. “I take a lot of time in writing a script. I also have the habit of writing three to four scripts at a time. I wrote Sakkare two years ago. Once we decided to make it into a film, I took three months to write the script. This is my style of filmmaking,” he says.
Abhay welcomes the current trend of Kannada films being dubbed and remade by Telugu and Tamil film industries. He says, “It is definitely a good sign. Dubbing or remaking a film helps producers and is satisfying for the director of the original. I want my films to reach as many people as possible too. I hope Sakkare follows the same pattern.”