A bald pate is always the butt of jokes, that is certain. Ask any Bald Bill. He’d probably trade his most prized possession for that crowning glory.
And, whoever heard of a film with a bald man in the lead?
It’s no mean achievement that ad-film director Raj Shetty dared to explore an unconventional subject with his debut Kannada film, Ondu Motteya Kathe (A bald man’s story). Shetty tells the story of 28-year-old balding Janardhan and his travails.
Challenging himself further, Shetty also played the lead role. Devoid of stars, Ondu Motteya Kathe became the launch pad for many fresh faces.
Before its release in India, Ondu Motteya Kathe was screened at New York Film Festival and London Film Festival this year and much appreciated for its simple content that viewers could connect with.
In its seventh week after release, the bald head of Janardhan is still shining at the box office.
Shetty, in an exclusive with tabloid!, spoke on the making of his debut film.
What sparked off this story?
I have always been interested in character-driven stories. I wanted to narrate a story that a normal person could relate to. Being bald myself, I thought, why not write one around this.
A balding person is not considered a Prince Charming and his baldness often comes in the way of relationships. There is a fear of being ridiculed and it affects one’s self-esteem too.
Tell us about Janardhan.
Janardhan is a college lecturer who is looking out for a life partner. As if being bald was not enough, the fact that he teaches the native language, Kannada, is another put-off for women. A chemistry, physics or mathematics teacher is cool in the eyes of women but certainly not a Tamil, Hindi or Kannada teacher.
The story is not just about Janardhan and his baldness but also dwells on his need to conquer his imperfections by wanting a beautiful bride. It talks about human imperfections and body shaming, told in a humorous narrative.
How did you juggle between acting and directing?
Our cast comprised 53 newcomers. The only known face was television artist Usha Bhandary. She plays Janardhan’s mother.
We had auditioned nine people for Janardhan’s role but they did not satisfy us. We were looking for subtle acting and for people who could speak Kannada with a Mangalore accent. I was the 10th option.
Before filming we conducted a workshop for two months where every little aspect of the film was discussed and improvised. When filming began, there was no decision to be taken. Everyone was clear on the entire script. Ondu Motteya Kathe was shot in 16 days, out of which two days was spent on a song sequence.
From an RJ to directing films — how did that happen?
Films fascinated me since my childhood days when I visited my aunt in Bangalore. I watched films there. Even after watching a film more than once, I enjoyed standing outside the theatre and listening to the dialogues.
After graduating from college, I worked as an RJ in a leading station for three years and quit it to work as a voiceover artist in an ad-films company. I love narrating stories and the next thing was writing and directing ad-films.
Before Ondu Motteya Kathe I was ready with three scripts, but they did not materialise since producers wanted me to compromise on the content. Ondu Motteya Kathe was initially made as a short film. I met Suhan Prasad, through my friend, Praveen Shriyan. Suhan advised me not to waste the story as a short but turn it into a feature film and he took over as producer.
How did the association with director Pawan Kumar happen?
Pawan Kumar saw the film after it was completed and he came on board as co-producer. His name (Pawan is known for two critically acclaimed Kannada films, Lucia and U-turn) gave Ondu Motteya Kathe credibility and made the distribution of the film easier. It was his idea to send it to the New York and London festivals and I was surprised when OMK was selected for screening there.
OMK released in July along with seven other Kannada films — only OMK survived to the next week. It ran to packed houses and in one popular cinema hall, I noticed that tickets were being sold at black. A ticket priced at Rs90 (Dh5) was sold for between Rs350-500.
What’s been some of the most interesting feedback on the film?
Kannada actress Samyukta Hornad’s compliment — ‘OMK touched me and reminded me as a human being with imperfections.’ That is something I treasure.
There were two messages on our FB page. One was from a bald man, who said that earlier he felt unhappy when ridiculed. But after watching OMK, he is able to acknowledge himself as a mottai (bald Bill). The social stigma does not affect him now.
The second post was by another man who used to tease his girlfriend on her short height. OMK made him realise how much he had been hurting her and he promised himself he would not repeat it.
What’s next?
I received offers to act in 10 films. I agreed on one role.
I will also be directing my next film, a thriller.
Ondu Mottaye Kathe releases in the UAE on August 17.
