A love story with few twists

As a school boy, Sunil Kumar aka Suni's life was all about writing. He wrote short stories and poems galore, so much so that the last pages of all his notebooks were filled with his scribbling. 'Teachers used to turn over my books to see what I had written every time I handed in something for correction. I continued writing over the years, and by the time I got to college, I began writing my own lyrics for movie songs. Confident that I could write good lyrics, I went to a few film sets to seek an opportunity, but soon enough realized that songs are written and recorded in pre-production. While hanging out on those sets and getting to know some assistant directors and production executives, I realized that everything related to the making of a film rests with the director. The idea of working on a film struck me and I began looking out for a chance to assist. Director Dinesh Baboo gave me my first break as assistant, which was, incidentally, around the time of my fifth semester of graduation,' says Suni, whom audiences will best remember for his directorial debut, Simpallag Ond Love Story (SOLS).
After bunking college for almost 50 days to assist on his first film, Suni broke the news to his family with a promise that he would complete his graduation, while also
trying to gain a foothold in the industry. 'I continued to work as assistant for a few more films, after which I thought it was time to make the transition to director. I had the script for Simpallag Innond Love Story (SILS) ready, but given that the subject required a big budget, I had to put it on the backburner. I then worked on the script of SOLS, but even for that I struggled to find a financier, as the story revolved around two characters. After meeting 40-50 producers, I decided to make the film myself with the help of a few friends and family members,' says Suni.
As a debutant director, the first thing he did was announce his name as Suni and not Sunil Kumar, considering that there were already a couple of directors by that name in Sandalwood. SOLS became a box-office hit, but Suni was told by many that it was all about comedy and double entendres. 'So I decided to make a film with a social message and made Bahuparaak. Audiences, though, gave me a message that they want entertainment and not preachy experimental cinema. The failure of Bahuparaak taught me to focus on making commercial flicks,' says the filmmaker. His next move was to announce a very ambitious project: Manamohaka, starring Shivarajkumar. 'It is a class subject, set in the 70s. But as is with most period films, this one also requires a big budget and had to be kept on hold. It is then that I decided to revert to my first script and make it while figuring out the nitty-gritties of Manamohaka.
SILS, says Suni, is partially based on his own experience of travelling from Bengaluru to Gokarna, which he thought would be apt for a road movie featuring a girl and a boy and the ensuing love story. 'This is a fun movie and will appeal to most people, especially those who enjoyed SOLS. Audiences should not expect many fights or twists and as the title suggests this is a simple love story,' he signs off.