AV Chinthan marks his directorial debut with Chakravarthy but he has always been known for his stories and dialogue writing. The journey so far has been interesting, he even worked in the animation industry and did a bit of teaching before he started with movies.
Over the last 15 years, Chinthan has made many attempts to try his hand in direction but destiny willed otherwise. “I was meant to start with Chakravarthy,” Chinthan tells City Express.While his interactions with Kannada filmmakers helped him build his career, it is his close bonding with the Thoogudeepa brothers that has given him an opportunity to direct the star with his very first venture. “I have known Dinakar, Darshan and Mallikarjun for nearly 16 years now and I have always had the family’s support. Over time, the bond between us has only strengthened and it gave me an opportunity to work with them,” he says.
The director has always been a fan of Ram Gopal Varma’s earlier films and has been influenced by Upendra’s direction.
The debutant director’s confidence soared when Darshan came on board, along with producer Siddhanth, who was holding the production together with Annaji Nagaraj’s co-ordination. “For a first timer, this was the most smoothly managed project,” he says.
On Darshan, Chinthan compares the actor’s popularity with Rajinikanth’s, for being a mass hero. “I have followed Rajinikanth’s work, and know his potential. He has kept the ‘mass hero’ tag till date. I see a similar and growing popularity for Darshan here. Therefore I, automatically, penned my story and dialogues to suit his larger-than-life image,” says Chinthan. “Before being a director of the star’s film, I am his fan, especially for his simplicity and his love for animals. I love my hero and therefore what comes to the screen will be something of an ‘idol worship’,” he adds.
Chinthan who has been wanting to see Darshan in a ‘don’ avatar realised that wish through Chakravarthy. “I made sure that this one is completely different from his previous films and that the actor has done justice to the ‘don’ image. Darshan appears in three different shades of character and he has remained true to all the three,” he says.
Having said that, Chinthan immediately clarifies that Chakravarthy is not all about a don, that there is more to it. The director says, “I have seen some dons up close and always wanted to know their inner life. I have seen good in a few of them. Even going by the commercial value, this subject would work. This is a fictional underworld story, but it is more a family drama. The journey of a common man emerging as a don and being married, how his wife accepts the fact that her husband is entering such a murky world and the emotional drama is what Chakravarthy delves into.”
Over this decade in the industry, on this ‘cycle ride’, Chinthan has seen an impressive growth in Kannada industry. He is happy that this is a good time with many youngsters foraying into Sandalwood. “Right now there is a lot of potential in Kannada films and this is no more a small market,” he says. “We just need to explore what more is possible.” he says.