BENGALURU: While we were filming, the most important thing on all our minds was to just be able to finish the film, and make enough money to return it to those who gave us money. We had no idea about the kind of success it would become,” says actor Sathish Ninasam, about his debut film in the lead role, Lucia. A landmark in Kannada film industry, the psychological-thriller drama film, starring Ninasam and Sruthi Hariharan, is often credited with ushering a new wave of alternate filmmaking and experimental stories.
Originally released 10 years ago to the day, Lucia has since achieved cult status, and on the occasion of its decennial celebrations is getting a limited re-release on multiplexes across Bengaluru. But the film’s making was anything but straightforward. Made with a paltry budget of Rs 45 lakh, a majority of which was crowdsourced, the film’s runaway success showed that making good cinema didn’t require enormous budgets, expensive equipment or a massive crew.
“There’s behind-the-scenes footage on YouTube of me carrying my laptop and running on the streets of London. We had got an opportunity to show Lucia at a film festival there and at the last minute, I was told that the show was being cancelled due to technical issues. I had the film on my laptop and I hurried to the venue and into the projectionist’s room, and we connected my laptop and showed the film. That’s basically how every aspect of filming went. We would face problems constantly and would find innovative ways to resolve them,” says screenwriter and director Pawan Kumar.
Concurring with the director, Ninasam adds, “The film was made with a barebones crew, there were no caravans, no entourage or anything that a big-budget film would have. Yet I remember the days we spent making the film very fondly. And the success of the film tells you how strong the screenplay, the performances and the camera work were. It made my job easier and helped highlight my performance.”
The actor, fondly known as ‘Kwatle Sathisha’ after his acclaimed role in 2012’s Drama, remembers initially being apprehensive about taking up the mantle of a lead actor in Lucia. But the deep connection with one of the two characters he portrays in the film helped overcome that. “I used to work in a theatre myself, and so the portrayal of ‘Nikki’ was very close to my life.
Furthermore, my fluency and comfort with the Mandya-style Kannada, also came handy,” he says, adding, “But I also had to portray a completely different character – that of a broody film star – in the film as well. It was a unique opportunity, where I could express the different aspects of my craft.” Apart from garnering critical acclaim, numerous awards and unexpected box-office success, Lucia was one of the first Kannada films to have had shows across cities in India.