‘When audiences see me in Panchatantra, they will despise me’

For someone who had no plans of becoming an actor, and had foreseen his life as a businessman, Vihan Gowda has not only made inroads in Kannada cinema, but is also slowly becoming a staple in filmmaker Yogaraj Bhat’s camp. After a cameo in Parapancha and a lead role in Kaal Kg Preethi, one of which was directed by Yogaraj and the other backed by his banner, Vihan was set to be the lead in Premadalli, which would have been the directorial debut of Hariprasad Jayanna, a long-time associate of Yogaraj.But midway through the production, the film was stalled and Vihan got the opportunity to be directed by Yogaraj in a full-fledged role as the lead in Panchatantra.
“Yogaraj sir had told Hariprasad that he wanted to make a film with me ever since he saw me in Kaal Kg Preethi. But then I got busy with Premadalli, which did not pan out. Not much later, when Hariprasad turned producer for Yogaraj’s next, based on a story written by Maasthi, they thought that I would be apt to play one of the lead characters — that of a young brash guy who has no respect for the elderly. When interacting with anyone other than his childhood sweetheart, he comes across as truly annoying — a character who audiences are likely to despise,” says Vihan. Much of Vihan’s interactions in the film are with Rangayana Raghu, with the two of them at loggerheads all the time, which, in turn leads to the crucial race in the narrative. “Yogaraj sir got us to meet often a week prior to going on floor. So, by the time we were on set I was okay fighting with Raghu sir,” he adds.
The highlight of working on Panchatantra, says Vihan, was racing in professional racing cars. “Back when I was in college, I used to race and knew how to drift. Even then, the team had a bunch of professionals to train me. I have done a lot of the race sequences in the film myself, barring a few when I used to be too tired, as a lot of scenes needed multiple takes and sitting in a professional car with no AC and barely cushioned seats, while wearing racing gear and a helmet is no easy task,” he signs off.