The journalist who always wanted to be a filmmaker

He was a popular TV

journalist

for 14 years before deciding to chase his lifelong dream ' that of being a filmmaker. The shift wasn't easy, but Gaurish Akki found that every cloud has a silver lining as the frustration of not being able to get his film made resulted in the storyline of his debut movie,

Cinema My Darling

. The director opens up about his journey into Sandalwood'


Long-standing dream

I always wanted to be a filmmaker; it was a long-standing dream. When I was in Class 8, I remember telling a classmate that I wanted to become a director, and for some reason, I don't know what it was, but he said that I will certainly become one some day. That has always stayed with

A teacher, journalist and director
I did an MA in English Literature from

Karnatak University

,

Dharwad

, before coming to Bengaluru in 1999-2000 to pursue my dream of becoming a filmmaker. I even did a three-month course, but didn't get an opportunity to assist a director. I was in a financial fix since I didn't have a job, so I worked as an English Literature lecturer at Maharani Ammanni College for a year. I was always attracted to the media, so I joined a

Kannada

TV news channel. I just wanted to be near a camera, and found myself in a very comfortable atmosphere at the channel. So, despite not studying to be a journalist, I became one, and worked at a couple of other channels as an anchor for 14 years. But then, it was time to go back to pursuing my old dream ' that of being a director.

Not off to a smooth start
Since I was a newbie in the film industry, it took time for me to take off. My initial journey wasn't smooth. I had a story ready, and went to many producers till I reached a point where I was frustrated, thinking that there was nothing that I could do. I then had an evil idea, and that is the story of Cinema My Darling. Out of my frustration rose the story of this movie ' about characters who are trying to succeed in life, but are unable to do so, and take certain actions as a result of their frustration. The story, up until the frustration stage, is, at some level, my own story. The movie is inspired by real emotions, and a lot of the scenes are about the incidents in the lives of people around me. But, the story is a work of fiction.

This movie has added a new dimension to my personality
Becoming a director has added a new dimension to my personality. As an anchor, I spent a lot of time inside the studio and only went out occasionally to interview film personalities. I didn't know anything about villages or districts. But while making this film, I have spoken to everyone from policemen and politicians to fans, and have seen so many new places. I have become more understanding of other people and I feel that I have become more mature. This is a very emotional film for me, and the way I feel about it is like how a mother feels about her child.