With the film Operation Alamelamma, Rishi made his mark in Kannada filmdom. He proved he had it in him to do comedy and kept his audience guessing about his character through out the film. He also had us in splits with his broken English that he rattles off confidently.
Next came Hemanth Rao’s Kavaludaari, where we saw Rishi play a traffic cop with a nose for crime. Despite being reprimanded for poking his nose in a case, Rishi cracks it with the help of a retired cop, played by Anant Nag. With Kavaludaari, Rishi proved he can also be at ease in serious roles.
And, now he is out to break the serious-man mold with his next film, Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakasha, directed Anoop Ramaswamy. The film, which is almost complete, released its first teaser. The first look seems like it will be a total entertainer.
Rishi says, “Yes, it will be a comedy. Actually, a mixed genre with lot of drama and comedy. The story revolves around a boy who gets embroiled in a problem and all the tricks he uses to get out of it.” He laughs adding the film is so funny that he laughed many times during the shoot. “It has the kind of humour, which shows that we are not being deliberately funny nor are we under playing it and killing it. It has an effortless kind of humour. This is the kind of comedy that is hard to pull of.”
Sarvajanikarige... is written by Janardhan Chikkanna, who gave us Gultoo. In fact, Sarvajanikarige... is produced by the same team that did Gulttoo. Rishi says he was bowled over by Gultoo, and “liked what they had done. So when Janardhan approached me I was happy. Saravjanikarige... is yet to complete the shoot of two songs. We are waiting for the rains.”
Besides this, Rishi has also completed the shoot for Sakalaka Vallabha, directed by Jacob Verghese. “It is in the dubbing stage now.”
Both titles sound like tongue twisters. Rishi says excitedly, “I come from Mysuru and love pure Kannada. Hence, I also like Kannada titles and want to encourage titles with a Kannada flavour. I am not being a fanatic, but am trying to say there is potential even in choosing titles from your own language. Unusual sounds and names also capture the attention of people.”
He also looks forward to exploring a negative role on screen. “This dream may become a reality soon as talks are on for a couple of projects.”
The youngster is in no hurry to sign on projects. “Being in films for me is more about passion. I quit a well-paying job to do something that excites me. I know a film will work when I enjoy listening to the story and working in it. Then, surely the same joy will be transferred to the audience when they watch it.”
About his journey, Rishi says, he is shuttling between sets and “it feels good to be recognised. For me the growth has been gradual. I do not have a star backing, nor am I a star kid. The advantage is that people had no pre-conceived notions about me. The disadvantage is I have to work doubly hard to grab the attention of makers and audience. That is a challenge in itself.”