T S Nagabharana is a filmmaker to reckon with! He is one of the most successful Kannada directors of our times. His super hit blockbusters ‘Janumada Jodi’ and ‘Nagamandala’ are like gems in his career. The 55-year old filmmaker has been honoured with National awards nine times and haswon innumerable state awards. He is the only Indian film director to win two National Awards for National Integration (Grahana in 1978 and Santa Shishunala Sharifa in 1990). His historical film, Kallarali Hoovaagi, based on a novel of the same name by B L Venu, was declared Best Film under the category. His films are a delight to watch for his balance between art and commercial. He has also made popular television serials. Right now he is directing ‘Namma Yejarmaanaru’ with Dr Vishnuvardhan, Vijaya Raghavendra and Navya Nair.

Excerpts from an Interview:

Kallarali Hoovaagi bagged critical acclaim but failed to become a commercial success. Are you disappointed about the outcome?

To start with, I wouldn’t say that Kallarali Hoovaagi is a failure. The film was enjoying its fifth week in Bangalore when suddenly it was pulled out of the theatres. There have been protests against the unfair removal of the film from theatres. I wouldn’t like to go into details about it but would just like to say that the collections had improved.

How was your experience making this film?

Venu came to me with his novel and after going through it somewhere I felt that when brought to celluloid, the film would be a visual extravaganza. I did not approach any producer. I worked on a script with Venu. There were many improvisations in the script. I wanted to make a historical for the present generation.

The shooting of the film was mainly done in the hilly mountains of Chitradurga and in some places of Uttara Karanataka. Film’s producer Madhu Bangarappa trusted my vision and had lot of faith on this project. He had left no stones unturned to make the film a spectacular venture in Kannada. Indeed it has turned spectacular. There were no compromises made on any grounds. Veteran artists like Ambareesh, Anant Nag, Devaraj, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan and Sumalatha, along with the entire team worked round the clock to can the night sequences.

I am thankful to the technical department for their support, which is praiseworthy. CameramanH C Venu, was very convivial and energetic. There are many sequences shot with a single source of light. Hamsalekha has composed brilliantly. Though I changed many tunes, yet being a man of such stature, he obliged me.

You have won three National Awards in the National integration category. Do you intend to make more such films?

When I direct a film the intention is never to win awards. My films are made for the audience and I want people to watch them. I am a theatre person but took to the medium of filmmaking as I wanted to reach a wide audience.

You are a director who has delivered art and commercial films with equal brilliance. You’ve also worked with the big names of the industry. How do you feel about yourself as a director?

I have worked with Dr Raj Kumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Shankar Nag and Shivaraj Kumar, to name a few. It’s a credibility that whenever I approach these top stars with a good script they are always forthcoming to work with me. That’s an accomplishment.