With Geetha, Ganesh’s excitement has grown twofold. The Golden Star has now decided to make it special for himself and the audiences. The actor, who never visits the theatre on the release day of his film, will make an appearance this time for the first show on the first day.
“This happens when you are confident about the product. I felt I should enjoy that excitement with people. Moreover, I want to witness the reaction of the audience while they are watching the film,” says Ganesh, who feels that Geetha was a responsible subject to handle, and his rapport with a fresh director like Vijay Naagendra helped take the film to the next level. “Usually, I lock the script with just two-three readings, but I took at 12-13 readings with this, and the script was finalised after a few changes,” he reveals.
The actor is aware of the fact that his films cannot be completed without elements of romance, which has been the actor’s forte, and something the audience has always expected from him since I. According to Ganesh, what sets Geetha apart is the strong backdrop that delves into with the Gokak issue. “I consider romance as a safe bet at the box office. But I can’t stick to it for long.
Setting a subject with a strong backdrop that blends with love has always been a challenge, and it was possible with Geetha. There was some kind of a spark when Vijay narrated the story to me In addition to the romance, I was excited when he read the part about the Gokak agitation. The patriotism in me was at an all-time high when I heard the episode, which dealt with the Kannada language. I could nail a lot with this character in Geetha -- romancing with the language in that backdrop, bringing a touch of class, and also portraying a romantic hero and an angry young man,” says Ganesh,
To recall an episode like Gokak agitation on the silver screen was an electrifying experience. “I had read a few clippings about the issue, and listened to the radio interviews of Annavru (Dr Rajkumar), but I got to know a lot of inside details only through this film. I realised that there is nothing bigger than the language. As an actor, I got established only through a Kannada film like Mungaru Male, and that is what has brought me till here. So respect for the state and the language cannot be expressed in a few words,” he says.
Geetha also brings him as a producer, for which he has joined hands with Syed Salam. “With Shilpa Ganesh handling the responsibility along with producer Syed Salam, we were happy to get associated with a good project. Geetha has only got us good vibes, right from the start of the film, and continues to do so,” says Ganesh, about the movie that has not only revived the title of an old classic starring Shankar Nag, but has also used the original track --Geetha Sangeetha --from the 1981 film.