Neenasam Satish can’t help but wear a smile these days. Lucia, in which he’s the lead actor, is running successfully at mutliplexes and was even a contender on the long list for India’s Oscar entry before it lost out to the Gujarati film The Good Road.
Basking in his recent success, Satish says, “I have received at least 2,000 messages and more are still pouring to my inbox. Most of them compliment me saying, ‘Neen awesome (you are awesome)’.
With Neenasam now becoming Neenawesome, Satish has his sights set on a new film, Love in Mandya. “Actors always look for good scripts. I was attracted to Love in Mandya’s story. Also Arasu Anthare, who is a lyricist, will debut as a director with this film. He has assisted and worked with some good directors before. In fact, the film has a strong team with Sindhu Loknath (actress) and producer Uday K Mehta. It was Uday who chose me because he thought I could do justice to the title,” he says.
A hit usually spells a hike in an actor’s fees. And so we hear Satish too is demanding a handsome amount, in the region of Rs 45 lakh, after Lucia. “I would not like to comment on my fees. It is not that I have a fixed price for every film. It depends on the team and the producer. Money matters are usually discussed with a mutual understanding between the producer and actor. I am not the kind to think of remuneration all the time. There are films where I have accepted lower amounts because I liked their story. That said, I don’t think there is anything wrong in demanding more because I need to build my career. You enter the industry with dreams and money is definitely an important factor in fulfilling those dreams,” he says.
Satish was noticed in Yograj Bhat’s Drama but it was with director Pawan Kumar’s Lucia that the industry threw a spotlight on him. “Directors have developed a confidence in me, so even the scripts I am being offered are good.
“As actors we have look forward to a good movie and can only hope it succeeds. Lucia has definitely made me happy. Its collection has crossed Rs 3 crore in three to four weeks across India. This has reassured me that I am doing good work, that I am heading in the right direction and have come to the industry at the right time,” he says.
Satish is glad that an experimental film like Lucia has struck a chord with the audience. There’s no doubting that the English subtitling has helped reach a wider viewership. “Kannada audiences have understood the film and found it sensible, and that says it all,” says Satish.