‘A sci-fi film weds art & science’

Director Ajay Sarpeshkar says Mandala will be the first step towards building a sci-fi film franchise

There are only a few sci-fi movies in Kannada. Techie-turned filmmaker Ajay Sarpeshkar is gearing up to re-introduce the genre to the Kannada audience with Mandala, a local tale set in the fiction genre. “When you are young and you watch a great sci-fi film, it opens up your mind and imagination. The Matrix did that for me,” shares Ajay.

Why just the west?
Why do UFOs crash only in the West and not in India? This was the question that set the ball rolling for Mandala. “Our intention is to inspire young minds. Science fiction can impact society eventually. Mandala is an effort towards that—to marry science with art,” Ajay shares. Ajay has roped in a talent pool for Mandala including Sharmiela Mandre, Kiran Srinivas, Anant Nag, Prakash Belawadi, and Samyukta Hornad. He is producing it under Ajay Sarpeshkar Films. The film is scheduled to release on March 10.

Ensemble cast

Ajay has roped in a talent bundle for Mandala. The star cast includes Sharmiela Mandre, Kiran Srinivas, Anant Nag, Prakash Belawadi, and Samyukta Hornad. "Mandre plays an aerospace engineer. Kiran Srinivas is the hero, but not the typical kind. He has a softer edge. Samyukta plays a DCP, a tough woman who also tries to balance her softer side. Anant Nag plays an investigative journalist. Prakash Belawadi is the genius director of a fictitious space agency. All the five characters have equal weight. I wrote the screenplay, and Prakash Belwawadi doctored it to make it more grounded and concise. He is very good at it," Ajay adds.

Getting the science right

Ajay is both the director and producer for Mandala under Ajay Sarpeshkar Films. Ajay claims it was tough stepping into the shoes of both a creative director who wants many things and a money-short producer who has to cut corners. "To begin with, I lost all my hair (laughs)! The first four-minute scene took almost nine months to put together as we had to build and blend a lot of layers," he says.

Getting the physics right is an important part of creating a good sci-fi movie, he says. "If you don’t, then you end up becoming a laughing stock. Which is why not many people attempt the genre. Filmmakers should have great knowledge of science and, of course, creativity and imagination. There is a rocket launch scene in Mandala, and it has been done using real metrics. The spaceship in the film was built from scratch. We thought about how a spaceship should be if it has to travel interstellar distances. We designed it keeping all the intricacies in mind," Ajay adds.

Commercial viability

Commercial films that appeal to a mass audience are a big deal in Kannada now. "Mass films appeal to the base instincts of the audience, while Mandala appeals to their imagination. We, as humans, seek out more when the basics are taken care of. This is a first step towards that journey. I cannot make a post-apocalyptic movie and expect the audience to connect to it. The plan is to take them on a space journey step by step. This is the first step to building a film franchise. Depending on how the audience will take it, we will go further," he signs off.