Sukesh Shetty’s experience as a theatre artist in Kannada and Tulu came in handy while making his directorial debut with Dooradarshana. “I consider cinema as the best medium to tell stories we wish to and that’s why I chose to become a director. My career in films started as a scriptwriter and I got associated with a couple of directors. I also helmed a few short films, and finally I get to realise my dreams of helming a feature film,” he shares.
Though his passion for making cinema, watching films, and assisting various directors was a step one, he says that it is the determination and hard work that got him there. “One has to acquire the required knowledge in the field. There are a lot of ways to come into the industry, I studied cinema by watching films, but also did my homework by assisting filmmakers. Watching cinema helps you to understand how a story should be narrated. I watched films in multiple languages, and genres,” he says.
Doordarashana stars Dia hero Pruthvi Ambaar and Ayana as the leads. “It is purely a director’s film, and it will be a surprise package for the audience. I have chosen a unique pattern to narrate the story and it is a complete commercial family entertainer,” says Sukesh, who has centred his story around a TV and the famous channel DD. The director, says that Dooradarshana is a household story, and confidently says that his film has no similarities to the subjects, which have been based on television.
“The film’s plotline is set during the 70s and 80s and goes upto to 1999 when television had created a new wave, especially among the people residing in a village. How the magic box brought the families, friends and the entire village together will be highlighted through the backdrop, realistic emotions, various characters and music,” says Sukesh.
Sukesh states that television has lost its value and its importance today. “There were times the same magic box created an impact on people’s life. The film will remind, a whole sector of people, of incidents in their life, and induce nostalgia.” he adds.
About choosing Pruthvi Ambaar, who plays Manu, Sukesh says, “I wanted a face, who can relate to common people. Pruthvi had created an impact amongst the audience with Dia. Since I am also from Udupi, I knew his performance as a theatre artist, and in Tulu cinema. I had him in mind while penning the project, and I am glad he became the face of Dooradarshana.”
Pruthvi Ambaar’s tryst with Dooradarshana
Pruthvi Ambaar, says the fame he got through Dia cannot be expected with every film and neither is he relieving the past glory. “I never hoped every film of mine should repeat the magic of Dia. I have moved on, and have been doing films that are coming my way. Dia was a once-in-a-lifetime film. It was a project where everything came together, and I can’t expect the same magic to happen with every film. However, the effort that I had put into Dia goes with every film,” says Pruthvi.
Last seen in Bairagee, alongside Shivarajkumar, and Dhananjay, Ambaar now gears for the release of Dooradarshana. He goes on to talk about his first stint with the television. “My first encounter with television was in the 1990s. People would flock around one house to watch a program and eventually, it would turn out to be a gathering, a meeting place, or an occasion,” he shares.
Pruthvi explains, why direct Sukesh chose to set Dooradarshana in a village backdrop. “The impact of the magic box on the innocent people could be best brought out through villagers. So the director, felt the plot will make good justice when placed against village backdrop,” he says.
There were rumours about Dooradarshana having familiarity with Malayalam film, Akashvani. Pruthvi Ambaar denies it. “Akashvani is about radio, and ours is about television. The two are different objects, and so will the concept of the film.”
Summing up, Pruthvi says that Dooradarshana is close to reality, and a good entertainer. “ Though Television is present and will be the future, the same magic box brings in a lot of memories of the past.”
The film features Aayana as the female lead and also stars Ugramm Manju, Sunder Veena, Harini Srikanth, Huli Karthik, Suraj, Surya Kundapur and Deepak Rai Panaje. Produced by Rajesh Bhat’s VS Media Enterprises, Dooradarshana has cinematography by Arun Suresh, music by Vasuki Vaibhav, and editing by Pradeep Rao.