My character in Gultoo has influenced me positively

For Naveen Shankar, who makes his filmi debut with

Gultoo

, which releases on Friday, acting was something that he always aspired to do. Hailing from Ilkal in Bagalkot district, he was actively involved in theatre since his school days. He moved to Bengaluru to pursue engineering, which is where he met Janardhan Chikkanna (the director of Gultoo), who was equally passionate about films. Naveen quit engineering after the third semester, because he realised that acting is where his heart lay. He then worked as a film reporter at a local channel, before joining the theatre group, Rajamarga Kalasamskriti. After dabbling in TV for some time, he and his friend Janardhan (the two had always planned to do their first film together), got cracking on Gultoo.
Not worried about being typecast
Dealing with

cybercrime

, Gultoo is not a run-of-the-mill film. So, did it ever worry Naveen that debuting with such a film would invite being typecast? “Not at all. There are new-wave films being made in Kannada cinema now, and audiences are more cultured and open to all kinds of subjects. We tend to categorise films as class or mass, but some subjects, such as Gultoo, break those barriers and can be pitched to any audience. This film will help me prove my acting prowess, so there couldn’t be a better launch pad,” says Naveen.
Playing

Alok

In the film, Naveen plays Alok, an engineering graduate, who is from a lower-middle class, rural background. Much like Naveen, Alok moves to an urban metropolis and has to deal with a change in lifestyle. “He’s a very confident and ambitious guy, and knows exactly what he wants to do. Audiences will get to see how he fulfils his dreams through the journey of the film. He is a very influencing character, and by playing him, I noticed several changes in myself. For e.g., earlier, I used to think a lot about small things, which I don’t do anymore,” says Naveen.
Working with a friend
“Janardhan has always had a lot of clarity and has been supportive, since our college days. When I quit engineering, he was by my side. Despite being good friends, we had an actor-director relationship on set. Any actor can act, but an actor needs a good director to guide him and control him, to ensure that there is no overacting. As an actor, my talent lies in conveying emotions as close to reality as possible, and that is where Janardhan came in. He’s very clear about what he wants; it was a pleasure to work with him,” says Naveen, signing off.