A techie's 11-year-long journey to be a director

He's more than just another techie-turned-filmmaker. Akash Srivatsa discovered his passion for cinema when he was in PUC, but did an engineering degree. Later, he decided to chase his dreams. It may have taken him over a decade to direct his first commercial film, but the journey has been eventful. Akash tells us more'

Running on passion
I used to do mimicry shows in college, and that's when I got interested in cinema. I wanted to be associated with mov-ies, but didn't know in what way. My parents weren't happy with me getting into films, so I studied engineering. I went for a few job interviews and got offers, but it seemed scary to do something that I wasn't keen on. So, I decided to follow my passion ' films.

Making inroads
Back in 2005, social media was in its nascent stage, so it wasn't easy to get in touch with people. You had to go to Gandhinagar, find directors and meet people. I met Kavitha Lankesh and Girish Kasaravalli and they both advised me to do short films. I learnt everything on my own; I borrowed money from friends, shot films on a handicam, wrote the script and dialogues, and edited the film. I used to show these films at rooftop screenings, where I met (director) Pawan Kumar, who used to do the same. We became friends and exchanged ideas. We were wandering filmmakers with no defined goals. I met Ramesh Aravind sir at a TOI career fair in 2005-06 and showed him one of my films. He said that I would be a director. That is when it hit me that direction was my calling. Ramesh sir then gave me the chance to assist him on Accident, which gave me a lot of exposure and confidence. I kept bouncing scripts off him, and it is because of him that I am what I am today. He is my mentor.

A long wait
In 2007, when I was sure that I wanted to be a director, many projects were on the verge of being announced, but nothing materialized. In the meantime, I kept making short and corporate films. It was while making a corporate film that I met (producer) Ravi Kashyap. He told me that he wanted to make a short film, but one that was like a feature film. That's how

Sulle Sathya

came about, which took almost a year to complete. That was the first Kannada short film to be screened at Cannes. After doing a critically-acclaimed film, Ravi then wanted to do a commercially-viable one. And that's how

Badmaash

came into being.

Jack of all trades
More than Badmaash being worth the wait, I think that it is perhaps my time now. I enjoyed the process of waiting to direct a feature film. I have done all kinds of things, such as being an art assistant, production boy and even sticking posters for a film. I was an RJ as well, so all my experiences have helped me become a better filmmaker today. I feel like I have been waiting to be a director for just 1-1.5 years, and not 11 years. I am very happy with the way Badmaash has taken shape; is a movie that will be enjoyed by all audiences.