Taking his time

Rishi, who calls himself an “introvert” is described by the people from the industry as a talent to look out for. The young man, who started off with a brief stint on television with series such as Mahaparva for ETV Kannada and Anuroopa for Star Suvarna, shot to fame with his debut film Operation Alamellamma.

Directed by Simple Suni, the comedy-thriller saw Rishi playing the character of Mr Parmi (Paramehswar).

The film was a huge success and Rishi is now one-of-the-most-sought after actors in the Kannada film industry. He is, however, in no hurry to sign films, choosing his roles carefully and working one film at a time.

The actor is right now finishing the last leg of shooting for Hemath Rao’s Kavalu Daari and has also signed up for Tamil actor Dhanush’s next film, which will also be Dhanush’s debut in Kannada.

The actor talks to Metroplus about films, the background work he does for each role and more. Excerpts

What drew you to the film industry?

I have always been an introvert and never was part of theatre or anything to do with acting till I came to an engineering college. It was there that I wanted to give acting a shot and joined the college theatre group. It was a vibrant team and I learnt there was more to acting and discovered theatre was a perfect platform for introverts to express themselves. I also dabbled a bit in RJ-ing and knew I would take up a career in a creative field.

When I heard the story, I had not yet visualised the character. So Suni (director) and I went to a market at the crack of dawn to get a feel of how it is done in reality. We both instantly knew what we would be incorporating into my character.

I loved the way the character respects himself and introduces himself with the prefix ‘Mister’. His name is his only identity and he takes care of that.

Once he came on screen, he became endearing to the audience.

The character has a positive approach to life. Though he has nothing, it is his confidence that bowls over others. He believes in himself.

Having no backing means it is tough to get associated with the right people as the question of credibility comes in to play.

Films involve a huge amount of money and high stakes.

Producers look for someone bankable or an established face as he is investing his all into it and is looking for guaranteed returns. For me, it was tough as a newcomer. My only concern was that the producer get the money he invested in me back.

I was also questioning myself if I was delivering well and doing justice to what I was expected to. I knew we had a great story, but was bowled over by the massive response we got. It is challenging to make your mark as it is a competitive field. But once you enter the industry, it is a level playing field.

Once they know you deliver, are level headed and skilled, then no one can stop you from getting work.

Both characters are two extremes. In my first film, the focus was on whether I was entertaining or intriguing enough. But Kavalu Daari is a totally different space.

The character already has a lot of layers and it is a story-driven film. You have to take the story forward and convey the emotions right. The biggest challenge in Kavaku Daari is I hardly have dialogues and have to communicate through my expressions and body language.

If I do not emote well, then the audience can perceive the story wrong. Hemanth has his own style of telling a story and working with him has been a great experience.

Yes, my next will be produced by Dhanush and Jacob Verghese. It will be a joint production is Kannada.

We will start shooting for it, once my commitment with Kavalu Daari is done.