After a day's work, people usually sit back and relax. But Prathap Narayan goes to work instead. This actor was turning in double shifts as he shot during the day and worked by night. This newbie’s effort have paid off as his first ever solo project Benkipatna directed by TK Dayanand is now ready for release. Pulling off the various challenges thrown up by the film and his job, Prathap is excited to see himself on those posters pasted across the city.
“I work as a financial analyst with Thomson Reuters and my official work hours are from 7 pm to 4 am, based on the US shift,” he says.
Before Benkipatna, Prathap was briefly seen in Deadly II, Gokula Krishna and Story Kathe, which saw him playing the second lead along with Tilak. “Benkipatna helped me to focus as actor," says Prathap who is elated with his role. “I would like to clarify one thing. For many the title refers to a match box but that is a misconception. It is the name of a place that exists in Karnataka,” he says. He also goes on to describe his role in the film. “My character in is very innocent and doesn't understand the meaning of love. Coming from a poor family, I can do anything for money. Being among actors like Arun Sagar, Prakash Belavadi and even Anushree, was a great learning experience and helped me hone my skills. The great compliment I got while doing the film was from Prakash Belawadi who appreciated my hard work. Personally, I should thank my producer Zakir Ali Khan for having confidence in me as a solo hero. I could have been launched much before, but I am glad I waited for a good script," he adds.
Prathap claims that he slept for just two hours, when he was shooting for the film. "I even took my annual leave from the company for around 20 days. People considered it madness, but I thought it was hard work. I read that Shahrukh sleeps for only four hours even today after he has already become a big star and I would like to follow him," he says.
Benkipatna is the story of Anushree who is a big fan of the actor Sudeep and wants to fashion her life around him including her boyfriend played by Prathap. The interesting thing is that Prathap in real life resembles the Kannada star. Many people think that he is related to Sudeep because of his looks. "It is a great honour for me. In fact, while I was shooting, many thought I was Sudeep's younger brother. I only hope that some day I act like him. There is one song where Imran Sardhariya and Niranjan Babu actually styled me after him," he says.
Life is yet to change to Prathap as Benkipatna hasn’t released yet. However the actor seems okay with his normalcy. "I am a pucca Banglorean. My father is a retired KSRTC conductor and my mother is a housewife. At the moment the only place I am treated like a star is in my office and it makes me feel a little strange," he says.