Night out will mark the directorial debut of Rakesh Adiga, an actor, who has turned director. The reason for this change after 10 years is his underlying desire to try his hand behind the scenes. “My close friends, including those from the film industry, always knew my interest in direction. In fact, just as I completed class 10 in 2001, I started off as an assistant director. It was a time when the digital medium was yet to take off in the industry. It was my album Urban Lads in 2007 that caught the attention of filmmakers, and I was called for an audition for film, Jhossh, which is how I made my foray into acting,” explains Rakesh, who is ready to test the waters with Night Out this week. “This film is releasing exactly 10 years after my first film, Josh,” he says.
The film, starring fresh face Bharath, Akshay Pawar and Shruti Goradia of (Sankashta Kara Ganapati fame), is produced by a doctor, Naveen Krishna, a resident of the USA, who was impressed with the film’s story. “He not only decided to invest in the film, but also gave a free hand,” says Rakesh, who, apart from direction, has written the story and screenplay. He has even tried his hands in writing dialogues and also sung a bit song. Night Out has music scored by Sameer Kulkarni and cinematography by Arun Alexander, along with Vishwajith Rao.
The story revolves around two friends travelling from one place to another during which, through a flashback, a thrilling story unfolds. “Everything is based on real-life incidents, some of which I have personally witnessed. I have tried to bring alive the characters through my story to ensure that every person can relate to it. I don’t intend to give out any message through my film, which is only going to be a pure entertainer with comedy. I also don’t have a typical hero, heroine, comedian, villains as characters,” he explains.
Rakesh’s first aim was to get into the industry, and establish himself. “Acting in 13 films has given me a complete perspective on cinema. To hone my directing skills, I have put forth my stories to a few directors, including Jhossh director Shivamani, and taken inputs from them,” he says, adding, “I am capable of getting work done from actors, which is an important factor. I believe in not creating confusion during the making. I had a grip on the music and have often had discussions with different departments. Over the years, I have learnt language of cinema which has come in handy in Night Out,” he says.
