Kannada director Hemanth M Rao recently turned producer with a company named after his mother Dakshayani, who introduced him to stories and storytelling. A Masters of Arts in Kannada, Dakshayani Rao inculcated in her restless son a reading habit – she bought him a library membership – as well as the feeling for a good yarn. She died of cancer in 2024, and her memory lives on in Dakshayani Talkies, which has produced Janardhan Chikkanna’s Agnyathavasi.
The atmospheric period thriller, set in Malnad, follows a troubled inspector (Rangayana Raghu) who investigates a mysterious death. Agnyathavasi was released on April 11 in cinemas alongside the Ajith-starrer Good Bad Ugly. Already, a debate has broken out on social media about the minnow going up against the big fish, the fate of homegrown Kannada films against such big-budget dubbed productions as Good Bad Ugly.
“Storytelling is about identity and individuality, and every individual voice will have his own way of interpreting a genre piece,” said Rao, the director of Kavaludaari (2019) and the acclaimed two-parter Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (2023). Rao spoke to Scroll about what drew him to Agnyathavasi and how he sees the present and future of Kannada cinema.
Why did you pick Agnyathavasi as Dakshayani Talkies’s first venture?
I knew the director right from the time I did Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu [2016]. Jana’s script very well-written in an overpopulated space.
Murder mysteries are the most common genre. I liked how he let the story unfold. It wasn’t just a story of murder but also about the introduction of technology into a place and how it causes disruption. I felt a certain depth in the script. I went out on a limb and told Jana I would produce the film.
Part of the film’s charm is that it is an intimate mystery set in a small hillside town. Are you a fan of this kind of movie?
If you take a film like A Simple Plan [Sam Raimi, 1998], it’s not really a murder mystery but a small-town thriller about a plane crash and how people get pulled into it. So is Fargo [Coen Brothers, 1996]. Such films allow you to explore human characters with more depth.
Suresh Heblikar had done a couple of films like Aparichita [1978] back in the day. There was also Ramesh sir’s Amruthavarshini [1997], where a man kills another because he likes the wife. It is set in a hilly town. I have grown up watching these films.
A good thriller always balances your brain and your heart because it makes you think and feel at the same time. The essence of a motive for a crime is more often than not emotional. It is a human response, but the cleverness to hide it is completely dependent on the brain. You don’t often get films in which both your brain and heart are engaged.
How do you compartmentalise your primary identity as a director and your new role as a producer?
Apart from the capital and management of the project, it’s about trusting other people to do their best. Hiring the right people and having checks and balances is important.
The biggest challenge is to make sure that creative boundaries are not crossed. I too am a creator and director. I have to be mindful of how I put my points across to the director or writer. Thus far, I have really enjoyed this because it is an opportunity to be a part of different kinds of storytelling.
There is a debate across language industries of the need for small films to exist alongside big-scale productions. You’ve also spoken about how audiences need to appreciate good Kannada cinema too, rather than only chasing Tamil and Malayalam films.
What is the scene in Kannada cinema?
It’s an extremely fast-changing landscape. I see a certain saturation growing with the same kind of tent pole films.
It’s important to cater to audiences who want to watch good stories on the big screen. But we have to be clever in the way we mount these films. They cannot be extremely high budget or have an ambitious canvas. The ambitiousness should be contained within the story.
We have to take a leaf out of what Malayalam cinema has done in terms of its consistency, but unfortunately, we have not done that.
We also need to be known for more than Kantara, KGF, Sapta and the likes. We need to put out regular films outside of that category films that are driven by storytelling. Tamil offers us that in different shapes and forms with films like Parking and so does Telugu, with films like Ka, which did really well.
It is important not just to have headline pieces but also good films backed by technical prowess.
What are you hearing from young Kannada filmmakers? Is there a feeling of angst, a disconnect with Kannada audiences?
I can’t speak for Kannada filmmakers, but I definitely feel that there is an angst among Kannada audiences for sort of falling behind, in terms of not having anything to show for themselves.
In terms of the fundamentals of how a film should be put together, I feel that filmmakers are not doing many things right. The disconnect between the makers and the audience is very high. Kannada audiences are cosmopolitan, they are spoilt for choice. You have to set the bar high in terms of storytelling for them to take an interest.
Tell us about your own film Bhairavana Kone Paata, which has been put on hold to allow lead actor Shivrajkumar to recover from his health problems.
We paused during pre-production. A fair bit of work has already gone in.
We’re waiting for Shivanna to get back to peak fitness. It is a physically and emotionally demanding film. He doesn’t want to compromise, and neither do I. In the interim, I am writing something else and we are looking to make an announcement soon.
