Srinidhi Bengaluru has been nurturing his passion for art since he was in the 4th standard. With Suresh Anagalli as his mentor and being a part of the Aneka Theatre group, he has actively participated in 27 dramas and has performed in over 600 stage shows. His journey into the world of art doesn’t end there; he has also been involved in street plays and has established his own theatre group called Abhijna.
Interestingly, Srinidhi’s passion extends beyond the stage to the silver screen, as he is gearing up for his directorial debut with Blink. The upcoming film, produced by Ravichandran Aj, marks Deekshith Shetty’s next venture after KTM and features Chaithra Achar, Mandara Battalahalli, and Gopal Krishna Deshpande in key roles along with Suresh Anagalli, Vajradhan.
Ahead of the film’s release, the first-time director speaks about his transition from theatre to cinema and the journey to making Blink.
“I have not given up on theatre. Recently, I wrote and directed a play. Theatre has given me a strong foundation, and my passion for cinema has grown. Many of my friends, including editor Sanjeev Jagirdar, DOP Avinasha Shastry, music director Prasanna Kumar M S, and actor Deekshith Shetty, were all introduced to me through theatre. We all came together to create Blink.’”
As a first-time director, Srinidhi feels there’s still a scarcity of genres in Kannada cinema, and filmmakers are not willing to take risks to explore new kinds of films. “With Blink, I have infused sci-fi and thrilling elements into a drama, which is still uncharted territory in Kannada cinema,” he explains. “The film weaves together different timelines, with episodes featuring Chaithra Achar and Gopalkrishna Deshpande set in 1991, while Deekshith Shetty portrays Apoorva, a backstage worker in a theatre, and a portion featuring Mandara Battalahalli is placed in 2021.”
According to Srinidhi, music plays a key element in Blink. “Unlike today’s trend of computer-generated and electronic music, we opted for live instruments, including mandolin, rubab, and percussion. We have used 17 live instruments and incorporated five songs, which will translate into approximately 10 tracks in the film.”
Srinidhi concludes by stating that he has tried to break the mould and has taken a refreshing approach with Blink. “I have not followed the typical Kannada cinema template. Instead, alongside my friends, we’ve dared to rewrite the rules of filmmaking with this project,” he asserts.